


The Life of a Manager

by akasuns



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Crazy shenanigans, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Misadventures, Platonic Relationships, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Slice of Life, Swearing, author may show unintended favoritism, cameos from other schools!, im doing my best i swear, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24913282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akasuns/pseuds/akasuns
Summary: A look into what it means to be the manager for one of the top teams in Miyagi. Honestly, you should’ve just gone to... nevermind.
Relationships: Aobajousai Volleyball Club & Reader, Aobajousai Volleyball Club/Reader, Hanamaki Takahiro/Reader, Iwaizumi Hajime/Reader, Kindaichi Yuutarou/Reader, Kunimi Akira/Reader, Kyoutani Kentarou/Reader, Matsukawa Issei/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader, Watari Shinji/Reader, Yahaba Shigeru/Reader
Comments: 262
Kudos: 946





	1. Another Fight

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Managing the Cat's Den](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131674) by [edensgarden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/edensgarden/pseuds/edensgarden). 



> there's just something about cute manager fics that make me love them so much!! made me want to write a seijoh version bc why not! this is also my first attempt at a multichap fic so we’ll see how this goes. this is a platonic fic (maybe? 👀) and i hope you guys like it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought it was better to stray away from conflict.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo i was reading shiratorizawa antics by mooshua the other night and i loved it so much that it made me want to write a seijoh version!! let's see how this goes!

Tray of full water bottles on your right hand, hamper of training bibs ready to be washed on your left hand, and bag of clean towels slung across your shoulder, you wondered if you were better off making two trips instead as it took every bit of strength you can muster to make your way inside the gym.

At least, you thought it was the gym.

Looking at the tangle of limbs rolling around on the ground, you had to double check if you were really in the Aobajohsai volleyball gym and not in some underground wrestling ring.

Once you assured yourself that you were indeed in the right place, you looked at two bodies on the ground only to find out that they belonged to no other than Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

_Of course_ , you thought as you surveyed the scene in front of you. The two best friends – _(Best friends, yes, because this is what they always do. Fight. Go back to normal. Repeat.)_ – were in the middle of what seemed to be a semi-circle formed by the rest of the team. Iwaizumi had Oikawa in a headlock, the setter was spouting some high-pitched nonsense about the ace being mean, Makki and Mattsun were probably taking bets as to the fight’s outcome, Kindaichi was sweating bullets in terror, Kunimi looked bored, and the rest looked like they just wanted to finish practice.

“For fuck’s sake! What is it _this time_?”

The commotion stopped at the sound of your voice as every head sharply turned to you. You had already put down the things you were carrying and had your hands on your hips, eyes glaring at the group of boys as if daring them to cover up with some lame excuse.

“[Y/N]-senpai!” Kindaichi spoke up first, immensely relieved at your intervention and looking at you as though were some kind of heroine.

“[Y/N]-chan,” said Oikawa as he and Iwaizumi got up from the ground and straightened up. “It’s not what it looks like!”

“Oh, do tell, _captain_ ,” you said the last word in a way that made the setter shiver. You looked at him, eyes holding the same glare, daring him to lie to you. “What exactly happened then?”

“U-uh, y-you see… We r-read online t-that wrestling helped-d w-with – uhh – endurance?” Oikawa stuttered, his last words coming out as more of a question than an answer.

You stared at him for a few moments before your eyes looked for another prey. You turned to Iwaizumi who avoided your gaze then to Mattsun who simply looked amused. You tried with Makki and Watari but the two offered you no response, before you finally turned your gaze to a certain first year.

“Kindaichi.”

“Ah, shit,” you could hear Makki murmur. You couldn’t help but smirk. You knew Kindaichi would _never_ lie to you.

The turnip-haired boy looked at you with wide eyes, his relief earlier no longer evident in his face as braced himself for his own impending tattling. “Y-yes, ma’am?”

“Can you tell me what happened?” You smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder – the latter movement earning a quiet _“Overkill”_ from Kunimi.

_Just one more push,_ you thought as you gently squeezed the middle blocker’s shoulder. “I’d really appreciate it you tell me, Yutaro-kun. I can count on you, right?”

You fully expected the turnip-head to spill the beans like he would usually do in situations like this. What you hadn’t expected was for him to _short-circuit_ , however.

“Now, now, [Y/N]-chan,” said Oikawa as he rushed forward while Yahaba tended to the unmoving Kindaichi. The rest of the team, save for the third years, went back to practice after a threat from you that you were going to call Coach Irihata. “Don’t go flustering Kindaichi, you sly girl. Iwa-chan and I will tell you what happened. _We’re_ the ones involved, after all. Right, Iwa-chan?”

The brown-haired boy tried to catch his best friend’s eyes which, unfortunately for the captain, was still trained to the ground. Armed with years of experience in putting up with Oikawa, you quickly deduced that he was attempting to do the whole mind-telepathy thing with Iwaizumi, probably trying to come up with the some uniform fail-safe excuse. You were about to call them out on it when the vice-captain let out a tired sigh and looked up at you.

“Stupidkawa was being an ass.”

You blinked. “Uh, could you be a bit more specific?” You saw Oikawa at the corner of your eye, looking ready to defend himself.

“No, not really. He was being an ass. Period.”

_“Iwa-chan!”_ Oikawa whined while Makki and Mattsun both snickered.

“So you hit him?” you said in exasperation.

“Well, how was I supposed to act?”

You stared at the spiky haired boy you’ve known for three years. If this was your first time dealing with the two’s petty fights, you would have gaped at him. Oikawa was the only one brave enough to call him out on it and you didn’t want to admit it but sometimes, Iwaizumi could be such a _brute_. (You’d never say it to his face, though. That’s Oikawa’s job.)

Makki took the liberty of giving the detailed play-by-play of events you’ve been demanding since entering the gym. “Coach booked us a practice match with Karasuno next week because Oikawa requested. He wanted to taunt his old kouhai in middle school, apparently, someone named Kageyama? Anyways, Oikawa just wouldn’t stop _yapping_ about how he could never match Kageyama’s genius sets. Iwaizumi snapped.”

Oikawa was about to say something – probably something along the lines of “It’s true, though!” – but Iwaizumi shut him up with a menacing glare. You simply stared at the two.

Mattsun merely nodded as your face slowly morphed with understanding. You looked at Iwaizumi with a certain softness that made the spiker uncomfortable. You couldn’t help it, though. This wasn’t the first time that he made an effort to deal with his best friend’s unfounded inferiority complex.

_I’m sorry for calling you a brute, Iwa._ You bowed at him in apology, the words running silently through your mind as he looked at you in confusion.

“Uh, [Y/N]-chan, are you alright?” Oikawa said to you in an equally confused tone. All four boys looked at you worriedly, wondering if years of dealing with the two best friends’ fights had finally gotten you to crack, hence, your bowed figure. You straightened up and looked at them with a soft smile.

Your eyes wandered across the gym to the other players’ practice, smile still in place. Your earlier frustration was long gone, replaced instead with a mix of affection and sentiment.

They could be quite a handful sometimes. Hell, they were _definitely_ a handful earlier. But you couldn’t help the thought that crossed your head, overtaking your entire mind.

_I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of this team._

And you meant it. For three years, you’ve watched this team strive, make mistakes, fall, get back up, and learn. Their accomplishments were entirely their own and it warmed your heart to know that you had a hand in their growth. Filling their water bottles, handing them towels, jotting down game statistics, cleaning up after them, having their backs – these were all you could do as an honorary behind-the-scenes member of the team.

Of course, there were times when what the team needed was entirely out of your hands. At first, you had worried about this, worried about being unable to do anything. But now, you take comfort in knowing – through Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s fight, funnily enough – that no matter what became of _you_ , they had each other’s backs through and through.

Filled with a sense of contentment at the thought, you turned to face the third years – who were still concerned that you had finally snapped – and answered Oikawa’s earlier question.

_“I’m perfect. Never been better.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand that was it! my multi-chap fic writing debut!!! hope you guys liked it <3 leave your thoughts! ^.^


	2. Uniform Mishap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought it was better not to hold grudges.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was initially going to be a long chap (with two events/scenarios) but i ended up writing just one scenario instead. anyways, hope you guys like it!

“There you are! You’re late. Practice ended half an hour ago.”

You turned towards the kind tone of Coach Mizoguchi’s voice, carefully shifting the big rectangular box you held in your hands. Your breaths were uneven after frantically running the last few meters between the bus stop and the school gym. Thankfully, your hair managed to stay tucked neatly in its ponytail and the only evidence left of your impromptu marathon was a few beads of sweat.

“I’m sorry!” you said, bowing to the two coaches. “When I got there, they still weren’t pressed yet. I had to wait another hour for them to finish.”

“But didn’t we call them a few weeks in advance? I thought they’d be done by now.”

“ _I tried telling them that!_ But apparently they were handling another team’s uniforms too so we weren’t given top priority.”

“Tsk, talk about sloppy service... At least we still got the discount.”

“Don’t worry about it anymore, [Y/N],” Coach Irihata said, eyeing your frustrated expression. “You still made it in time. I had them doing extra diving drills to stall.”

“Thank you, Coach,” you said as you set the box you were carrying on the shiny gym floor. The two coaches called out to the team, who you realized had just finished with their stretches. Jogging over to where the three of you were standing, the members of the Aobajohsai Boys Volleyball Team were waiting expectantly, curiously eyeing the box by your feet.

“As promised, your new uniforms are here,” said Coach Irihata, gesturing towards the box you were currently trying to open with a pair of scissors. “We won’t be using them for the practice match just yet but they’re all washed, folded, and ready to go.”

“You should thank your lovely manager for her efforts,” Coach Mizoguchi added. “She was able to get us a good deal with a sponsor across town. She even came across trouble today but still managed to push through.”

You couldn’t help but blush. The coach was making it out as if you went through the ends of the earth and found them an extremely hard-to-find needle in a haystack, which was too far of a stretch. In reality, you just managed to find a conveniently good deal after asking around here and there. But with the way Coach Mizoguchi was painting you out to be a selfless heroine, you really should’ve expected the next outburst from a certain brown-eyed setter.

_“[Y/N]-chan did that for me?!”_ Oikawa said, rushing to your form.

“No, I did it for all of you,” you said, resisting the urge to roll your eyes.

  
  
The captain shushed you, putting a finger to your lips which you reacted by opening your mouth to try and bite said finger but he promptly pulled back. _Damn him and his stupid volleyball reflexes._

He wasn’t done, however.

“Our precious manager really cares for us,” he carried on. “Oh, [Y/N]-chan, you really didn’t have to!”

He tried to wrap his arms around you but you already predicted his movements, moving away at just the right time for him to accidentally wrap his arms around Coach Irihata instead. This earned collective snickers from the rest of the team, with Makki quickly snapping a picture on his phone. The coach looked at Oikawa — who still had his arms frozen in shock around the man — and simply said one word.

“Iwaizumi.”

“Yes, sir,” the vice-captain automatically said with a sigh as he grabbed the back of his best friend’s shirt and dragged him back to stand with the rest of the team.

Coach Mizoguchi cleared his throat. “Alright, moving on. [Y/N], if you may.”

Leaning down, you opened the box further and started handing out the black individually-wrapped plastic packages according to the players’ jersey numbers.

_Number 1_. Oikawa grabbed his package — _(“Wait! Let me take a selfie first before I open it_.”) — and ran off to a far corner of the gym, probably to take _more_ than one selfie. “Don’t take too long!” you shouted at him before turning back to the task at hand.

_Number 2_. Mattsun took the package from you and offered you a thumbs up with a wide smile.

_Number 3_. Pinching your cheek, Makki quickly grabbed his and offered a quiet “Thanks!”

_Number 4_. It was when Iwaizumi ruffled your hair in thanks that you heard Hanamaki let out a resounding noise.

“EHHHHH?” Rushing over to him with hurried strides, you tried looking over his shoulder. You were about to ask him what happened when Matsukawa beat you to it.

“Um, [Y/N]?” you turned to him, a big imaginary question mark floating above the crown of your head. The middle blocker continued, handing you his already unwrapped package. “Uh, I think you got the wrong uniforms?”

“…”

_Sure enough._ Instead of the comforting white and turquoise colors you were used to seeing, you were faced instead with a tauntingly familiar white and purple combination. You gaped in horror, mouth dropping open but no sound came out.

_What the fuck?!_

You whirled towards the coaches in a flailing motion, repeatedly bowing your head, hands mimicking a prayer-like position causing you to drop Mattsun’s – well, _not_ Mattsun’s – jersey. You mumbled a bunch of apologies and a string of words no one could understand but you were too far gone to be aware. Had you maintained a grasp of your senses, you would have noticed most of the team crowding you, some patting your back, trying to shush your ramblings and assure you that it’s not the end of the world.

“Calm down, [Y/N],” Iwaizumi said somewhere to your left. You physically couldn’t, however. Your eyes never left those of the coaches, asking them, _imploring_ them, to understand your predicament.

“[Y/N], relax,” said Coach Irihata, with Coach Mizoguchi nodding beside him. “It’s not a big deal. People simply make mistakes. Just return it to the sponsor tomorrow.”

“B-but,” you stuttered, gesturing to the already opened box. “T-t-the boxes were labelled. I _swear_ they wrote ‘Aobajohsai’ on the box. Look!”

“It’s _fine_! These things happen, really.” Coach Mizoguchi assured you. “They’ll handle it. Don’t mind.”

“You got to hand it to them, though,” Makki snickered. “Of all the others we could have swapped with, it had to be with _them_.”

You grimaced. It was bad enough that you felt like you failed at your job, but seriously, the coincidence was too unnerving. _Well, at least the others find it more amusing than irritating._ You thought as you looked at the annoyingly amused faces of your team.

“Um, senpai?” Kindaichi said suddenly, looking a bit worried. “Oikawa-san is number one, right? I was thinking, um, since we swapped with Shiratorizawa… the uniform he took probably belongs to…” he trailed off, sounding uncertain.

It took a while for Kindaichi’s words to sink in. When it did, you abruptly turned to the other third years – who all stared back at you, eyes wide in realization – and realized they were one member short.

_Oh my God. If Oikawa has the number one, then it probably belongs to—_

You were cut off by a high-pitched scream from the other side of the gym. All heads sharply turned to their brown-haired captain, whose jaw dropped and whose eyes were wide in a mixture of disbelief and disgust. Oikawa was shakily holding the white and purple jersey, which sported a big, bold, number 1, in a grip so tight that it looked as though he was trying to tear it into two. Knowing him, it was possible – no, _probable_ – that he was actually trying to do it. _Well, I can’t exactly blame him._

_“WHY THE FUCK AM I HOLDING USHIWAKA’S UNIFORM?!”_

+++++

**_Extra:_ **

“That bastard! He’s everywhere, I tell you! Why is he— ack!”

“Idiot! You’ll rip it!”

“Perfect, then! Serves him right for— _OW, IWA-CHAN!_ ”

“You better square up, Trashykawa.” By this time, the ace had his best friend’s shirt in a deathly grip, with the setter rubbing furiously at his head where a bruise will _surely_ form tomorrow.

“Can you guys shut up?” you couldn’t help but rub your temples at their antics. “I’m trying to think!”

_Shiratorizawa’s within walking distance from Wakano, if I’m not mistaken. And Wakano should only take one trip from our bus stop, right? Or was it two trips?_

You pondered quietly as the best friends kept going at it. Looking at the two, you wondered whose _brilliant_ suggestion it was to let the captain and the vice-captain – whose mental ages dropped by five years whenever together – accompany you to handle the little uniform mishap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! i'm still debating on whether to scrap the second scenario i was talking about or to make it for the next chap. anyways, leave your thoughts!


	3. Shiratorizawa Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought a little bit of recon never hurt anyone.  
> The Shiratorizawa Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.
> 
> Or—
> 
> You thought geniuses weren’t all that bad.  
> Oikawa thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i've only just realized how hard it is to write scenes with multiple characters and to still have the dialogue running smoothly >.< so i'm trying this new thing where i'll let each of our seijoh boys have individual special moments with manager-chan to compensate for any unintended favoritisms i may show in group scenes lol hope it works out. this chap has oikawa's! hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> p.s. before you get confused, i purposely added a fem manager for shiratorizawa bc i just wanted more fem characters ^.^

Standing in front of the enormous, pristine, and expensive-looking campus of Shiratorizawa Academy, you couldn’t help but wonder if your choice of high school was just another thing to add to your list of questionable life decisions.

_I should have applied to Shiratorizawa._

This was the first time you ever set foot in your rival team's school and you had to admit, everything here just screams _champions_. From their entryway to the gigantic eagle-shaped statue at their front gate, from their student dorms to even their parking lots! _Well, they aren’t the top in the prefecture for nothing._

“[Y/N]-san? Hello!” an extremely pretty and familiar looking girl said to your right. “Good to see you!”

“You, too! I’m glad you got my message,” you smiled at the kind face of the manager of Shiratorizawa’s volleyball team, shaking her hand as much as you could with the big box of uniforms you were carrying. “I’m sorry for coming at such short notice. The sponsor said you already took the package.”

“No problem at all! Do you need help with that?”

“No, no, it’s fine! Besides,” you said, gesturing to your left. “I have these two _idiots_ to help.”

“…”

_Silence._ Jerking your head, your wide eyes took in thin air instead of the two volleyball players who were _supposed_ to helping you with today’s task. You could’ve sworn Oikawa and Iwaizumi were right beside you when the three of you stepped off the bus earlier. _Those idiots!_

“I take it there was supposed to be more of you,” said Shiratorizawa’s manager, with a playful smile.

You chuckled, a bit flustered at the thought that you were made to be a fool in front of the pretty manager. _Oh, well. What else is new in my life?_

“Don’t mind, [Y/N]-san! Why don’t you come to our gym with me? We haven’t opened our – well, _your_ – box yet.”

With a short _“Sure!”_ on your part, you followed Shiratorizawa’s manager inside their huge school grounds, your eyes taking in every bit of detail of their elegant campus as you chatted with her while the two of you walked towards their volleyball gym. It was undeniably a big school and you couldn’t help but worry about Oikawa and Iwaizumi getting lost.

_(“Their school building looks like a hotel. Pfft, that’s nothing special.”_

_“What’s with this super huge track and field? I bet that bastard Ushiwaka can’t even run a single lap.”_

_“They even have signs. Pfft, just how big is this place?”_

_“Iwa-chan! Horses! Horses!”)_

Stepping on the shiny wooden floors of the Shiratorizawa volleyball gym, you squeaked as you observed what seemed to be a casual yet _intense_ practice game. You spotted familiar looking faces wearing their usual black-shirt-purple-shorts attire with blue training bibs donned on. Their opponents who were wearing green bibs looked to be _college_ students. _Curse you, Japan!_

Making a mental note to book a few practice games of your own (with college students, too, of course), you followed Shiratorizawa’s manager to a corner of the gym where an unopened rectangular box similar to the one you were carrying was placed. Without wasting any time, you exchanged boxes with her.

“Thank you so much! I’m so glad this disaster is over.”

“No problem at all! Thank you for coming all the way here. I would’ve offered to come to you myself if it weren’t for our practice match today.”

“Pssh, it was no trouble, really.”

“Well, you’re a lifesaver!” she said with a smile. “I’m sorry but do you mind if I go ahead? I have to talk to our coach…”

After a few minutes of assuring the pretty manager that you’re more than capable of locating your two friends and finding your way out, you bid your goodbyes – with her going out the doors and you still standing in the same spot because _hey, a bit of recon never hurt anyone._

Maybe it was karma. Or maybe it was just bad luck. Whatever it was, that’s how you found yourself toppling sideways to the ground after a few minutes of observing the players. The box you were holding fell to the ground along with a lone volleyball, which you now realized was what hit you in the first place. Palming your stinging cheek, you saw floating stars in your eyes before all hell broke loose.

“Ushijima! You hit her!”

“ _OUT!_ Take that! Our point!”

“Ushijima-senpai missed!”

“Ushijima-san didn’t miss, Goshiki.”

“Oh no, isn’t that Seijoh’s manager?!”

“Wakatoshi-kun, you killed her!”

“If I tell you guys that I’m not dead, will you please shut up?” Their loud voices were definitely not helping the stinging on your cheek but the pain was admittedly bearable. _The spiker probably didn’t use 100% strength._

Brushing it off because you definitely _weren’t_ a stranger to flying volleyballs, you opened your eyes to see the blinking faces of the Shiratorizawa Boys Volleyball Team looking at you with a mixture of worry and amusement.

“She is still alive, Tendou,” a deep voice said as some of the boys helped you to sit on the benches while the rest ran off to find ice packs.

“Miracle boy! You didn’t kill her after all, Wakatoshi-kun,” the redhead said before turning to you with a mischievous smile. “Long time, no see, _Seijoh-chan!_ What was your name, again?” Before you could answer, however, the same deep voice from earlier beat you to the punch.

“Her name is [L/N] [F/N].”

Several pairs of shocked eyes turned to the voice of no other than Ushijima Wakatoshi. You briefly forgot about your poor cheek as you took in the fact that _the_ Ushiwaka knew your name despite not having talked with you before.

_I’m dead, aren’t I? I really did die!_

“You are not dead, [L/N]-san,” said Ushijima with an unfazed poker face. _Shit, did I say that out loud?_

After a few moments of awkward silence with the unusual group, you decided to break it after a kid named Goshiki shakily handed you an ice pack. “U-ushijima-san, if you don’t mind me asking, um, h-how did you know my name?”

“I consider myself a fan of your work.”

You blinked. “E-excuse me?”

“You are excused.”

You stared at one of the top three aces in all of Japan, very much aware of the fact that his teammates looked back and forth between the two of you as if watching a tennis match.

“M-m-my work? You mean being a manager?”

“No, I’m referring to your essays in the local newspaper. I particularly liked the one about growing indoor plants. I have a few seedlings in my dorm as of the moment.”

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You are excused.”

You couldn’t speak and apparently, neither could his teammates. You couldn’t imagine what your face looked like right now as a million thoughts were running through your mind all at once. _The_ Ushijima Wakatoshi knew your name! Ushijima, captain and ace of the number one team in the Miyagi prefecture, read the essays you’ve been working on as a side hobby. Ushijima, one of the top three aces and one of the most sought-out players in the whole country, was a _fan_ of your essays.

You were about to pinch yourself when you heard an annoyingly familiar voice.

_“Made it! I told you we were going the wrong way, Iwa-chan!”_

“You were the reason we got lost in the first place, dumbass!”

Two pairs of comfortingly familiar eyes looked at you for a moment, then at the group that surrounded you, then finally, at the ice pack on your cheek.

“ _[Y/N]-CHAN!_ WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!”

“ _What happened here?!_ What the hell did you do to our manager?!”

“ _USHIWAKA-CHAN! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”_

“Please do not call me that, Oikawa.”

+++++

“That bastard!”

“Oikawa, stop it. It was an accident.”

“That’s what he wants you to think, [Y/N]-chan!”

You sighed. The three of you were now on the bus going home, with Oikawa in the window seat beside you and a sleeping Iwaizumi on the other side across the narrow aisle, the box of uniforms right beside him. As Oikawa kept rambling, you can’t help but think of just how _strange_ this day had been.

“Oikawa?”

The setter looked at you, pouting at the fact that his ranting was cut off. “Yes?”

“Um,” you said quietly, unsure how to start. “Why do you— I mean, why _exactly_ do you hate Ushijima?”

The brown-haired captain was caught off guard. Of course, you knew what started the setter’s long-standing grudge towards Shiratorizawa’s cannon but after learning a few things about Ushijima for yourself earlier, you couldn’t help but wonder if Oikawa was being too harsh.

Oikawa looked at you for a moment as if debating whether or not to answer you seriously or give you some lame ass reason. Surprisingly, in a rare moment of vulnerability, he settled on the former.

“[Y/N]-chan,” he sighed. “Do you think I’m good? With volleyball, I mean. Am I good at—“

“Of course.” No hesitation.

“Well, that’s because I worked hard – climbed _mountains_ – to get to where I am today. But you know what? Ushiwaka’s still better – a _lot_ better…” he trailed off. “He’s a genius, a prodigy. I’m not. Simple as that.”

“Oikawa…”

“I don’t want sympathy, [Y/N]-chan. I’m done moping about that, anyway. I’m telling you, I really feel like our team right now really has a shot at Nationals!”

You stared at the brown-eyed boy you’ve known for three years as he happily gave you details about exactly how he could guide the team to Tokyo’s Orange Court. You couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pride at your friend, who already had a handful of achievements at his belt but _still_ worked hard and was determined to keep getting better. _Oikawa is exactly who he is right now because of his hard work._

“Oikawa?”

“Hm?”

“Do you know what the good thing about geniuses is?” you asked him gently. Eyes full of warmth, you gave him a soft smile and continued.

_“They bring out the best in you.”_

+++++

**_Extra:_ **

“Are you guys,” the manager of Shiratorizawa said to her team with a menacing glare, “ _complete idiots?!”_

The usually intimidating group of boys cowered under the intense gaze of their manager. She was standing in front of their kneeling forms, hands on her hips after the college team filled her in on the Shiratorizawa boys’ latest antics.

“I _know_ I told you their pretty manager was coming today, but you didn’t have to be such show-offs and end up hitting her!”

“But she turned out fine…” Semi said as he ran his hand tentatively through his hair. Yamagata nodded, with Oohira and Goshiki following suit, while Shirabu, Kawanishi and Ushijima remained quiet.

“Semisemi’s right!” Tendou offered in Semi’s aid. “Wakatoshi-kun didn’t even use full power and—“

_“Did I say you could talk?”_

The team shivered and bowed their heads as their manager glowered at them. _One thing’s for sure,_ they thought with a shudder, _managers are scary!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys liked it!
> 
> for those of you who spotted the similarity, yes ushi and reader-chan's interaction was heavily inspired by a similar scene in "Shoot the Ball" by the wonderful alkhale! check her out bc she writes the BEST stuff!
> 
> also, the extra at the end is a salute to the fic that started it all -- shiratorizawa antics by mooshua!  
> now i just need to somehow worm in a cameo from nekoma so i can tribute eden's Managing the Cat's Den, too! <3


	4. Meeting the Crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought your team could get out of a pinch.  
> The Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.
> 
> Or—
> 
> You thought setbacks were all part of the process.  
> Kindaichi thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the kind words!! i'm still new to this whole writing thing so seeing your comments means more than a lot i swear ^.^
> 
> this chap was particularly hard for me to write because a lot of the events here are canon and i struggled with moving the story in the direction i wanted. i already finished writing this a few days ago but i wasn't satisfied so i kept changing some stuff and kept putting off posting it. i eventually sucked it up tho because this is a special moment for our turnip-kun kindaichi <3 hope you guys like it! :)

You didn’t really know much about Karasuno.

The little uniform fiasco a few days – coupled with the fact this practice match was booked just last week – left you with little time to collect data on the team. Still, looking at the group of boys stepping off the small bus in your school’s parking lot, you didn’t expect them to be such a _small_ team.

_About ten members._ _One teacher-advisor, no head coach. Oh, and a manager…_

“Shimizu-san? I’m [Y/N], manager of the volleyball team. Welcome to Aobajohsai High School!”

“Thank you for having us, [Y/N]-san. This is Takeda-sensei, our teacher-advisor, and Sawamura Daichi, our captain.”

You turned first to the kind-looking teacher and bowed – _(“Pleasure to meet you, [Y/N]-san! Thank you for accepting our request!”)_ – before turning to the mature-looking captain and bowing, as well. He returned the gesture before saying pleasantly, “Let’s have a good game!”

“We look forward to it!” You smiled at them in response. “Shall we get going then?”

“Ah,” said Daichi as he quickly did a headcount of his teammates. “Lead the wa—“

_OOF._ A mop of fluffy _orange_ hair bumped into you before zooming past you in a hurry.

“Hinata! Come back here and apologize! Where are you going? HINATA!”

Daichi started turning to you and frantically bowing his head in apology before a mop of silver hair came forward – _Sugawara, Vice-Captain,_ as Shimizu quietly pointed out to you – muttering something about _“bathroom”_ and _“nervous”_.

“Don’t worry, Daichi-san, Sugawara-san,” you offered. “No harm done.”

After another quiet apology from the duo, you led the group towards Gymnasium 3. You pointed out a few campus features here and there but you mostly just walked beside Shimizu, the two of you engaging in light conversation.

_(“Kiyoko-san is talking, she’s smiling! So that’s what girl talk looks like!”_

_“Shut up, Tanaka.”)_

You and Shimizu were so caught up in your chat that you didn’t notice two _familiar_ faces starting an intense conversation with a few of the Karasuno boys.

“ _Yahaba! Kindaichi!_ Stop picking fights with other schools!”

“ _You guys!_ I can’t let you out of my sight!” Rushing forward, Daichi stepped in to mediate. Pushing Tanaka’s head down and bowing in a similar motion, he spoke to your two kouhais before turning to you as well. “We apologize— _Tanaka_ , stop that look!”

You couldn’t help but step in, seeing as the captain’s behavior reminded you of yourself in very _similar_ situations as well involving rowdy juniors.

“Daichi-san, please don’t mind—“

“It’s been a while, King.”

You turned to look at Kindaichi in irritation, not appreciating how he not only interrupted you, but also went against your request to not pick fights. You were about to call him out on it but the bowed head of a certain black-haired guy held you back. _This must be Kageyama. Jeez, he looks intense!_

“What sort of dictatorship do you belong to these days?” Kindaichi carried on. “I look forward to seeing it in the match.”

You were shocked to hear the words out of the usually easy-going Kindaichi’s mouth, but you were more shocked at the fact that Kageyama didn’t respond to such taunts. After a few moments of unnatural silence, the black-haired setter lifted his head up and uttered a calm _“Ah”_ before walking away. Tanaka and Sugawara smilingly slapped him in the back with pride.

You gave Kindaichi a warning glare as if to say _“What’s gotten into you?”_ before motioning for him and Yahaba to follow as you led Karasuno inside the Third Gymnasium where the entirety of the Aobajohsai Volleyball Club was practicing in groups, each busy focusing on a specific set of drills. With Daichi motioning for his team to line up, you cleared your throat and tried to make your voice as loud as possible.

“Everyone! Karasuno High School has arrived.”

+++++

“Kunimi! Move more, you idiot!”

“But their attacks aren’t even fast…”

You sighed in frustration before turning to another player. The teams were currently having their break at the end of the first set. “Yahaba, you’re doing a great job!”

“Thanks, [Y/N]-senpai,” Yahaba replied, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “Though, it’s kinda hard to fill in Oikawa-san’s shoes…”

“Don’t think too much about it, okay? You’re doing fine on your own,” you said to the junior setter before directing your gaze to a certain turnip-haired first year and giving him an irritated glare. “Kindaichi, didn’t I tell you not to taunt our opponents?”

“[Y/N]-senpai!” the middle blocker said, squeaking at the look of irritation evident on your face. “That was nothing!”

“Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Kageyama in middle school but the kid barely uttered a single word to you since coming here. He probably already moved on and maybe you should too, Yutaro-kun,” you said to the first year before putting your hand on his shoulder. Squeezing it lightly, you walked back to your spot beside the coaches and sat down just in time for the next set.

You were suddenly glad that you were sitting down for the second set because had you been standing, you would have dropped to the ground in complete utter shock as Karasuno did a full one-eighty and their rookie first-year duo just pulled out an insanely fast, insanely _freaky_ , quick attack. It wasn’t a bluff, too, as Karasuno continuously racked up points with that freak quick and ruled the second set. You couldn’t help but worry for the third set as you looked down at the game statistics you were able to jot down and you were about to speak to the coaches about it when annoyingly familiar high-pitched _squeals_ dominated the entire gym.

_“Ahhhh! Oikawa-san!”_

_“Oikawa-senpai, do your best!”_

_“Kageyama, who’s that laid-back guy, hm? I find him unpleasant.”_

_“A senpai of the King of the Court? That would make him the Great King!”_

_“Shut up, Hinata, boke!”_

You looked at the brown-eyed setter in irritation; he was still in his trainers and was looking at the scoreboard with his usual plastered smile. Instantly, his team visibly felt relieved at their captain’s arrival, all sporting collective smiles and knowing smirks.

“Oikawa, you’re back,” said Coach Irihata. “How’s the ankle?”

Oikawa was about to respond before you cut him off by slamming your clipboard on the top of his head.

“IDIOT!” – _(“Ow, [Y/N]-chan!”)_ – “At least be careful next time! You’re the one who asked for Kageyama.” – _SLAM!_ – “What would we do without our official setter?!” – _(“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”)_ – “It’s embarrassing!”

The team watched your outburst with amused expressions while Oikawa rubbed the top of his head with a grimace. His fangirls still wouldn’t stop screaming, however, and the setter was about to wave at them when you menacingly said to him, “Go ahead, wave at them! _I dare you!_ ” Shuddering, the captain directed his attention towards a certain black-haired boy instead.

“ _Yoo-hoo!_ Tobio-chan, long time, no see!” he waved at the younger setter from across the gym. “Still doing the King thing?"

“That’s enough, Oikawa,” said Coach Irihata. “Go get warmed up. More so than usual.”

“Yes, sir!” And with a mock salute, the captain trudged towards a near corner of the gym to get started.

If it had been any other player, the coaches would’ve had more to say in anger. If it had been any other pinch player, you would’ve had your reservations. But this was _Oikawa_. The same Oikawa who injured his knee while training. The same Oikawa who stayed long after club hours to practice the _hell_ out of serves. If anyone could get your team out of a pinch, it was him.

Or so you thought.

+++++

“What are they fighting about _now_?” you asked Mattsun as your eyes took in Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s shouting figures, the latter throwing yet another volleyball to the setter’s head. Meanwhile, the rest of the team was cleaning up after the shocking loss to Karasuno earlier.

_“I get more irked by guys who get cheered on by girls.”_

_“You shouldn’t be jealous, Iwa-chan! It’s embarrassing!”_

“The usual,” said Mattsun all droopy-eyed as he helped Watari and Kunimi take down the net. “What do you want us to do about them, ma’am?”

You stared at the two best friends for a moment before deciding they weren’t your most pressing concern at the moment. _“Just leave them.”_

Walking to the other side of the gym, you approached the person you were meaning to talk to earlier. He was crouched on the ground, eyes furrowed as he picked up the volleyballs scattered on the gym floor. His eyes were trained to the ground but something told you the turnip-head was still thinking about that last play in the third set – _(“I’m sorry! I should’ve been able to make that last point! That shrimp came out of nowhere!”)_ – and how Karasuno won the match through no other than _Kageyama’s_ set up.

“You know,” you said to the first year as you bent down to help him pick up the stray balls, “your jumps were higher than usual today. I might have to update your stats.”

Kindaichi said nothing as he dropped the last ball into a cart. This was very uncharacteristic of the middle blocker as he would usually stutter or respond quickly whenever you talked to him. _He’s feeling worse than I thought._

“Jeez! What is it with you guys and your _love_ for geniuses?” you barked out a laugh while your kouhai looked at you in confusion. “You know, Kindaichi, you’re not the first one to hold a grudge against a prodigy.”

You pointed to the other end of the gym where Oikawa was still bickering with Iwaizumi. The first year followed the direction of your finger and, keeping your eyes on him, you continued. “Tell me, Kindaichi, do you think Oikawa sucks?”

The middle blocker gaped at you as if you were asking him if the world was flat. “Of course not, [Y/N]-senpai! Why are you—“

“Oikawa has never won a match against Ushijima, who is considered a prodigy. Do you think that makes your captain any less of a player?”

“N-n-no…“

“He spent years constantly losing to the guy. _Years._ Do you think he should just give up? Lose hope because geniuses are just way better?”

“No! Definitely not!” Kindaichi said with fire in his eyes. “Ushiwaka may be a star, b-but Oikawa-senpai is really good too!” The first year was full on ranting now. “So what if geniuses are good? That doesn’t mean we ordinary people shouldn’t keep pushing harder for the things we’re passionate about!”

You smiled at the boy’s sudden change of mood, observing the way his eyes twinkled with nothing but admiration for his captain. If he believed in his own skills as much as he believed in his upperclassmen’s abilities, he could be well on his way to become one of the prefecture’s best rookie middle blockers. To be fair, this rare moment of insecurity didn’t happen too often with Kindaichi. Sometimes though, all he needed was _a little push._

_“Then what are you moping around for? A single loss to Kageyama and you’re already brooding?”_

+++++

 **_Extra:_ ** _Meanwhile, at the other side of the gym…_

****

“Achoo!”

“Oikawa-san caught a cold!” said Watari, his face showing every bit of concern for his senpai, as he and Kunimi finished putting away the net.

“Are you alright, Oikawa?” said Matsukawa. “I heard the flu bug’s going around these days”

“I just got a chill…” the setter whined, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering.

“If you catch a cold, I’m going to punch you.”

“That’s going way too far, Iwa-chan!”

“You better get a grip, Oikawa,” said Makki, coming back from the storage room – mop in hand – as he eyed you and Kindaichi walking closer to join the rest of the group. “[Y/N] will kill you if you miss practice again.”

“What’s going on?” you asked as you arrived and stood in front of the team.

“Oikawa-san caught a cold,”

“OIKAWA, YOU IDIOT!”

_“WHY AM I GETTING YELLED AT?! HOW IS THIS MY FAULT?!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you sm for reading!!! and i swear im gonna stop writing canon scenes again bc they're just so hard to play around with (for me, at least),,, anyways, leave your thoughts! :)


	5. A Night at the Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you could all have fun together like normal people.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.
> 
> Or—
> 
> You thought a great team needed a strong foundation.  
> Iwaizumi thought so, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for the kind words! they're major boosts of confidence, i swear 💕
> 
> this chap turned out longer than any of the other chaps so far and it may or may not have something to do with the fact that i'm such a simp for iwa-chan 😉 oh and there are a lot of haikyuu-bu!! references here so try and find them all 🤩
> 
> on with the chap! hope you guys like it!

“Tell me again why we’re here.”

You asked no one in particular, not really expecting a serious answer. If things had gone your way, you would’ve been in your pyjamas right now, tubs of cookie dough ice cream in hand, watching the number of chick flicks you’ve got lined up on Netflix. But things rarely went your way, you realized, seeing as you’re now walking with your favorite – _(Yes, favorite.)_ – volleyball idiots at some local festival on a cloudy night.

To be completely honest with yourself, though, you really didn’t mind. These were _your_ idiots and even if you’d rather be chilling on your couch on this rare night off, you really didn’t mind spending time with them. Still, it would be nice to know _why_ Oikawa dragged you all here.

_“Because Oikawa’s date bailed on him tonight and he didn’t want to look stupid?”_

_“Because Oikawa’s being a good captain for once and is treating all of us to some cream puffs?”_

_“Because Trashykawa is annoying?”_

“You’re all so mean to me!” said Oikawa, pouting. “Is it so impossible for me to want to spend time with my favorite team in the entire world?”

Matsukawa and Hanamaki looked at each other for a moment before nodding. “He’s planning something.”

“Two hundred Yen says he’s trying to prank Iwaizumi,” said Matsukawa. Iwaizumi’s eyes widened and his head shot up.

“I bet you three hundred it’s [Y/N] he’s trying to prank,” said Hanamaki, your ears perking up as he offered his hand to Matsukawa which the middle blocker promptly shook. “Come on, first years, second years, place your bids!”

Fortunately, their younger teammates were smart enough not to try anything as they eyed your menacing glare and Iwaizumi’s murderous expression all directed towards their dear captain.

_“OIKAWA, YOU’RE DEAD!”_

_“TRY IT, SHITTYKAWA!”_

“MAKKI! MATTSUN! STOP TRYING TO GET ME KILLED!” Oikawa was practically trembling now before his hands shot out in front of him. “Iwa-chan, [Y/N]-chan, I swear on my glamorous life I’m not planning a prank on you.”

You looked at Iwaizumi expectantly. “You’ve known him the longest. Is he lying?”

“I’m telling the truth! I just wanted to us to bond as team, I promise!”

“Well,” said Iwaizumi, putting his finger on his chin and pouting in deep thought. “His smile looks innocent enough. It’s one of those rare ones with no ulterior motive…”

_“My smile is always straightforward and pure!”_

“U-um, [Y/N]-san, Iwaizumi-san,” said Watari, rushing forward with a sheepish smile. “Maybe Oikawa-san is telling the truth… He told me to bring some money because he wanted us to play a bunch of festival games.”

“See! Thank you Watari-kun,” said Oikawa, clapping his hands as if sensing that the danger had surpassed. Turning to the rest of the group, he flashed his typical _charming_ smile. “Let’s all have fun, alright?”

You and Iwaizumi looked at each other, exchanging a bunch of unspoken words before nodding and taking a step towards the smiling setter.

_“One wrong move…”_

_“…and this team will have to find a new captain.”_

Oikawa shivered as you and Iwaizumi fist bumped each other before leading the group towards the different festival booths.

+++++

“Matsukawa-san, you caught another one!”

You looked to your right to see that Matsukawa has indeed caught himself a goldfish. Your little group decided to go Goldfish Scooping first per Oikawa’s request – _(“Ha! That one’s the easiest!”)_ – but unfortunately for the setter, only Mattsun has managed to be successful after several minutes had passed.

“Patience is key, Yahaba,” Mattsun said as he scooped the goldfish into his bowl. “The key is to keep your _poi_ still. If you’re calm, the fish will come to you.”

“Uh, that’s not really working for me, though,” Kunimi said, looking at his still empty _poi_ with a bored expression. “I haven’t moved once but I still got nothing.”

“Maybe you’re holding up your _poi_ on the wrong side,” Iwaizumi offered, as he finally managed to catch one himself. Carefully scooping the wriggling goldfish to his bowl, he set his _poi_ to the water again to demonstrate his point. “If you hold it this side up, it’s sturdier.”

After a quiet _“Ooh!”_ from your side, you started following Iwaizumi’s advice with Makki following suit. Kunimi, though, decided he was done trying for the night and stood up to the side to scroll through his phone while waiting for the rest of you to finish.

“I’m impressed, Iwaizumi,” Makki said as he eyed the newly captured goldfish on your own _poi_ while you squealed in delight. “I didn’t expect you to be good at this. Matsukawa’s the only one I know who goes fishing a lot—“

“Hmph!” Oikawa interjected, looking at his third torn _poi_ with a look of disgust. “This is boring!”

“You only think it’s boring because you suck at it, Stupidkawa!”

“Tch,” the setter tutted, straightening up to stand next to Kunimi at the side. “When you’re all done being _boring_ , I might just give you all some Oikawa-san Points.”

“Some what?” you asked him, waiting curiously for his answer and dreading it at the same time. Your gut feeling – which turned out to be accurate 24/7 when it came to Oikawa – told you it was another one of his dumb antics.

“Oikawa-san Points!” the brown-haired captain said excitedly, holding up small coin-sized chips that had close-up pictures of him holding out _fucking_ peace signs. “If you gather them, you’ll get gratitude and blessings from me!”

Surprisingly, you were the only one out of the third years who groaned in exasperation because the other three were too busy being serious about their goldfish hunting. Again, your ever-reliable gut feeling told you Oikawa had been waiting the whole night for any opportunity to talk about the latest trick up his sleeve.

“Please tell me you’re not serious.”

“He’s actually serious about this, [Y/N]-senpai,” Kindaichi said, pointing to a nodding Watari at his left. “He gave me and Watari ten Oikawa-san Points each yesterday.”

“Wait, you both got ten? How come I only got five?” Yahaba asked before turning to Kunimi. “How many did you get, Kunimi?”

“Not to worry, Yahaba-kun,” Oikawa said when Kunimi said nothing. “There’s plenty of Oikawa-san Points for everyone!”

“Don’t tell me you had one of your fangirls make you those chips,” you said, still not believing the captain’s boldness. _Oikawa-san Points? Seriously, is this guy for real?_

“Silly, [Y/N]-chan,” the setter replied. He moved closer to where you were crouched beside Iwaizumi, who already had quite a few goldfish in his bowl and was still busy trying to get more. “I made these myself! I can be artistic and creative, too, you know! I made these using a special kind of cardboard that can only be bought at— _ack!_ ”

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. All of you watched in horror as Oikawa stumbled in his step and accidentally knocked Iwaizumi’s bowl into the booth’s small plastic pool, freeing all of the vice-captain’s hard-earned goldfish back to the water. And as if Iwaizumi’s luck could get any worse, all of this happened while the old man in charge of the booth had his _back turned_.

A vein popped on Iwaizumi’s forehead.

“Iwa-chan! I’m sorry! It was an accident—“

“Oh! You there!” the man in charge of the booth finally had his front to your group now. He pointed smugly at Iwaizumi who was now standing and had left his spot by the plastic pool. “You haven’t caught any, I see. Better luck next time, son!”

_Another_ vein popped on Iwaizumi’s forehead.

The ace took a step towards Oikawa with a murderous glare, to which the setter squeaked, hurriedly mumbling a bunch of apologies. Makki and Mattsun stepped in to mediate before all hell broke loose.

“I’M GONNA SLIT HIS ANNOYING-ASS THROAT WITH THIS _POI_!”

“Iwaizumi, let it go! They’re just goldfish.”

“Now, now, don’t go all murderous, Iwa-chan!”

_SMACK!_

“OIKAWA-SAN!”

“What are you doing Iwaizumi-san?!”

“Quick! You three! Hold him back!”

_Of course_ , you thought, looking at the group of idiots stirring up quite the commotion right in the middle of the festival. _Why can’t we just play and have fun like normal people?_

+++++

After a very eventful few hours spent trying out the Yo-yo Tsuri Booth – _(“Iwaizumi! What did you hit Oikawa for? He didn’t do anything this time!”)_ – and participating in a Ramen Eating Contest – _(“Spicy Level at 94! Loser gets to treat us ice cream after practice!”)_ – you were now walking side by side with Iwaizumi after dropping off an unusually _quiet_ and traumatized Oikawa at his house. (He tried getting past level 94 and his throat was now painfully burning.)

You didn’t often walk home together with Iwaizumi and Oikawa despite living relatively close to each other. Your manager responsibilities usually had you going home slightly later than the players and to be quite honest with yourself, you _liked_ that very much needed alone time. Still, on the occasions you did end up walking home with them, it was always an enjoyable time.

“I guess you really wanted those goldfish, huh?” you said to the Iwaizumi, taking two extra steps everytime to keep up with his particularly long strides.

The spiky-haired boy laughed, seemingly over his earlier wrath, before putting his hands in his pockets. “Eh, they were fine. I was just looking for an excuse to beat up Oikawa after hearing him talk about his _Oikawa-san Points_.”

“Ugh, tell me about it. Was he always that insufferable when you were younger?”

“In middle school, yeah, pretty much.”

You laughed, totally picturing out a younger Oikawa being the same _charming_ person he is right now. After tucking away that image to the back of your mind, you turned to look at Iwaizumi with a thoughtful expression. “You seem pretty used to handling Oikawa, now…”

“Well, someone _has_ to,” Iwaizumi said teasingly, leading you to laugh.

“It’s true, though! You always know what he needs, always know what to do…” You trailed off, vividly remembering the practice match with Karasuno, when the brown-haired setter wasn’t feeling his best and had to get his injury checked out while Iwaizumi subbed in as temporary captain.

“And come to think of it,” you continued, “that goes for the rest of the team, too. You’re always so reliable, Iwa, and everyone in the team looks up to you.”

“Of course they do. I’m their vice-captain, they should be able to depend on me,” the ace responded coolly but you could’ve sworn you saw a hint of red gracing his cheeks.

“Don’t act like that doesn’t happen off the court, too, you idiot!”

“Are your insults always limited to _idiot_ , [Y/N]?”

“Well, maybe if you’d all stop acting like a bunch of idiots all the time— ack!”

You rubbed the part where Iwaizumi flicked your forehead and gave him your most intimidating glare but the ace merely laughed. _And here I was trying to compliment him_ …

Looking at the spiky-haired boy, you thought back to the beginning of the year when the third years took over the club. It wasn’t that you thought Oikawa was unsuitable for the role of captain – quite the opposite, actually. He was an amazing captain and seeing the current state of the team a few months into the new school year, you firmly believed that Seijoh wouldn’t be where it is right now if it weren’t for Oikawa.

But now, looking at the team’s dynamics and just how well these dynamics played in the grand scheme of things, you realized that everything had a reason. Yes, Oikawa may be the _Grand King_ and by all intents and purposes, he’s the brains of the team – the strategist. On the other hand, Iwaizumi was the team’s backbone – the strong foundation that holds everyone together, Oikawa included. Without a doubt, Seijoh wouldn’t be where it is right now if it weren’t for Iwaizumi, too.

And, right now, you made it your mission to let the vice-captain know that.

“You don’t have to act all weird about it. I’m just telling you as it is.” He was about to retort so you quickly carried on. “You’re the best vice-captain we’ve ever had. Plus, you’re a really remarkable player, a dependable ace, and an amazing friend. And no matter how chaotic our team might be, I’m telling you, we’re all thinking the same thing.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

You looked at the spiky-haired boy, eyes twinkling with nothing but respect and admiration. You fixed him a look and hoped he could see the complete truth of your next statement. (And you hoped he didn’t find you too corny, as well.)

“You’re our rock, Iwa. You’re the strong pillar that holds our team together.”

Surprisingly, Iwaizumi didn’t think you were being too corny. Or maybe he did but he decided to spare you some embarrassment. Whatever it was, he seemed to take your words to heart, especially with his next statement.

_“Well, of course, you dummy. How can I be the ace if I couldn’t even make that?”_

+++++

**_Extra:_ **

“Three hundred Yen, pay up!”

“But Oikawa didn’t even prank either of them!” Hanamaki begrudgingly said as he handed off some money to a smug looking Matsukawa.

“Yeah, but he managed to piss off Iwaizumi, remember? Same thing.”

“I don’t think they count as the same thing, Matsukawa-san,” Watari offered in Makki’s defense as he sat behind the two third years in the bus ride home.

“Don’t mind, Watari,” Makki said with a shrug while Mattsun was too busy counting up his newly earned money. “I owed him, anyways.”

Watari simply nodded as he sat back in his window seat beside Yahaba, with Kindaichi and Kunimi in the seat right behind them. The sky was getting much darker now, and the moon was nowhere in sight. Leaning his head against the window, the libero mindlessly looked up at the night sky, while the voices of his two senpais drowned in the background.

_“How long do you think Oikawa’s gonna last not being able to talk?”_

_“How long until Iwaizumi strangles him and he can’t talk for good?”_

Taking one last look at the night sky, the last things Watari sees before closing his eyes were the ominous looking clouds and the flashes of lightning every few minutes. _I hope Iwaizumi-san, Oikawa-san, and [Y/N]-san don’t get rained on tonight…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goldfish Scooping, as the name suggests, is when players use a poi (paper scooper) to scoop some goldfish from a small pool into a bowl. The poi can tear easily and the fish are very fast so it’s harder to play than it sounds. Lucky winners get to keep their goldfish.
> 
> Yo-yo Tsuri, or yo-yo fishing, is when players use a small special fishing hook to try and fish out some water balloons from a small pool. It’s also a bit harder than it looks and winners get to keep their yo-yo balloons.
> 
> (Also, I've never been to Japan nor have I ever tried any of these games so I'm sorry if any info is inaccurate.)
> 
> ☼ ☼ ☼
> 
> as always, thank you for reading! leave your thoughts!
> 
> P.S. something's brewing in august ;) fingers crossed you guys will like it!


	6. Sick Day Off, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought the team could do without you for a day.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this scenario was inspired by Episode 11 of Gakuen Babysitters and i decided to split it into 2 parts so here's the first one! hope you guys enjoy it! 😋💖

You’ve made a couple of bad decisions in your life.

There was that time in middle school when you picked at a scab on your knee and it morphed into an incredibly ugly scar that not even the most expensive creams can heal. Then there was that time in your first year of high school when, for some reason, you had a punk emo phase and impulsively dyed your hair a bright pink that only lasted one week before you finally had the common sense to dye it back.

But what really made the top of your list right now was forgetting to bring an umbrella with you last night. Well, to be fair, you hadn’t really expected it to rain and you were never really a girl scout. _Hm, maybe I should’ve started last night..._

_Too late_. There you were lying in your bed, skin clammy and pale as you alternated between coughing uncontrollably and blowing your stuffy nose. Your parents had already gone to work after you assured them you were more than capable of taking care of yourself in such state and they had already called the school. Sipping some lukewarm water, you tried not to break your phone at Oikawa’s shrill voice on the other line – which was a pretty easy feat seeing as you didn’t have much strength to begin with – as you called the volleyball club to inform them of your situation.

“Dontcha worry, [Y/N]-chan! We’ll be fine! Stop worrying too much or you’ll get wrinkles!”

If you weren’t so sick, you would’ve come up with some snarky response but the annoying pain in your throat wouldn’t let you bite back at the setter. You didn’t have to worry, though, because someone else did the favour for you…

_SMACK!_

“Ow! Iwa-chan!”

“Coach said to get back to practice, stupid!”

Even though you were miles away from the scene, you could vividly picture out the daily ritual of Oikawa rubbing the top of his head while Iwaizumi shouted at him. You started to laugh but your body _coughed up_ – pun intended – a reminder on exactly why laughing probably wasn’t the best idea right now.

“Is that [Y/N]?” you heard a bit of scuffling with the phone before the kind voice of Coach Mizoguchi greeted you. “[Y/N]! Your teacher told Coach Irihata and I that you’re out sick today. Don’t worry about us here, okay? We’re more than capable of fending for ourselves. Just rest and get better soon. Leave everything to us!”

“Thank you so much, Coach!” you uttered shakily. “I promise I’ll be in tip-top shape tomorrow.”

“There’s no need to rush, [Y/N]. Just let your body heal. We can handle it here.”

After thanking him once again and hearing a few more well wishes from the team in the background, you hung up the phone and sighed deeply. _Even talking on the phone is exhausting…_

Not wasting any time, you slapped on a cooling patch on your forehead and quickly set up a few alarms on your phone for when you need to take your medicine, before dozing out almost immediately as soon as your head hit the fluffy pillows. _This is nice,_ you thought just as you were drifting off. _I don’t get days off often, might as well savor this while I still can…_

RING! RING!

_What is that sound?_

RING! RING!

_There it is again. Maybe if I ignore it long enough, it’ll go away…_

RING! RING! RING!

_This sucks…_

Reaching out to your nightstand, you quickly shot a quick look at the wall clock in your bedroom and saw that it hadn’t even been a few minutes since you closed your eyes. Groaning and wanting to get it over with, you swiped your thumb to answer the call without bothering to see the caller ID.

“[Y/N]-chan!”

“What do you want, Oikawa?” You managed to croak out through your sleep-deprived state.

“The water fountain’s not working! We tried pressing the button a few times but—“

“Kick the bottom part twice, wait for a minute, then kick it one more time.”

“…”

“Well?”

“You’re the best, [Y/N]-chan! Bye! Take care! Don’t forget to take your med—“

You hung up. Oikawa’s shrill voice had given you a bit of a headache and you were now more than ready to drift off to dreamland. Turning to your side, you closed your eyes and tried to bask in the rare peace and quiet, all the while hoping for no other interruptions from Oikawa or the rest of the outside world.

That hope lasted for a mere thirty minutes.

RING! RING!

“ _What?!_ ”

“[Y/N]-chan! The towels are missing! They weren’t in the cabinet when we checked—“

“They’re in a pile by the washing machine. All folded and ready for use.”

“…”

“Well?”

“You’re amazing, [Y/N]-chan! I see them now. Bye! Drink lots of water and—“

You hung up and tried not to groan. You were just on the brink of sleeping but apparently, Oikawa wasn’t having that. You scratched your head, mind running through the state of the gym when you last saw it – _(“Towels, bottles, first aid kit, training bibs… They should be where they usually are…”)_ – and quickly deduced that there shouldn’t be any more disruptions.

You weren’t able to get back to sleep right away but, thankfully, a full fifty minutes had passed without another call. Feeling more and more at ease, you once again eased back onto your pillows and closed your eyes.

RING! RING!

You groaned. _I knew it was too good to be true…_ “What is it _now,_ Oikawa?”

“Uh, Iwaizumi speaking…”

“What? Why are you the one calling, Iwa?”

“Oikawa’s scared of calling you now…” – _(“I’m not scared, Iwa-chan!” you heard from the background.)_ – “He thinks you’re mad at him.”

You sighed. “Well, what’s the issue _now_?”

“Coach is looking for the notes he asked you to make from last week.”

“They’re in a folder on his table. I held them down using that wooden coaster we got him last Christmas.”

“…” You heard a bit of scuffling then finally, an “Oh…”

“Can I go now?”

“Sure, thanks.”

You finally hang up. You didn’t even bother falling asleep again, opting instead to simply close your eyes while expectantly waiting for the calls that were sure to happen every other hour.

And sure enough, over the course of the morning, you received a few more calls from Matsukawa, Watari, Kindaichi, and even the coaches. The calls ranged from asking you the number of the college team you were planning to have a practice match with for the upcoming Golden Week, to asking you where you bought the specific sports drink they always drank in between training sessions. Most of the time though, they just called to ask you where certain things were.

_This is getting ridiculous._ You were about to turn on the _Do Not Disturb_ option on your phone when they beat you to the punch and called you again.

RING! RING!

“ _FOR GOD’S SAKE!_ WHAT IS IT THIS TIME?! YOU BETTER TELL ME NOW OR I SWEAR I’LL TURN OFF MY PHONE AND—“

_“—[Y/N]—“_ Your ears perked up out the shaky static on the other end of the line.

 _“—coaches are out—“_ Your eyebrows scrunched in confusion as more static flooded your ears _._

 _“—got injured—_ “ You couldn’t even make out whose voice you were listening to.

 _“—good as dead—“_ Your eyes shot up, your heart beating frantically.

 _“—Yahaba’s the only one—“_ Then the line went dead.

Your heart stopped and your mouth dropped open in shock. ”WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Scrambling, you quickly put on a jacket and a beanie, put your phone and wallet in your pocket, and ran out the front door. With weak yet determined strides, you ran as fast as you could in your condition, breaths uneven as you expertly dodged other pedestrians and ignored their curious looks. Hands pressing down on the cooling patch on your forehead to keep it from peeling off, you prayed to the gods that you had simply understood wrong and neither Yahaba nor the rest of them had actually _died._

_Hang in there, guys! I’m coming!_

**~To be continued~**

+++++

**_Extra:_ **

****

“Woah! Did you see that girl?”

“Girl? What girl? Where?”

“There, Yamamoto! The one running… There, wearing a jacket and beanie!” The only girl of the red-clad group pointed somewhere across the street, with Yamamoto following the direction her finger. “Oh, never mind. She’s gone now.”

“Wah! I didn’t see her at all! This sucks! She could’ve been Karasuno’s manager and I never noticed because—“

“Yamamoto, lower your voice,” Yaku quickly said. “You’re embarrassing us.”

But the other pedestrians paid them no mind. The rest of the group looked at their manager curiously, wondering why she was suddenly interested in a random girl while they’re in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Our precious manager _sure_ stopped in her tracks to gawk at that little runner.” Kuroo said to her with a teasing smile.

“She must have been fast for you to have taken interest…”

“She wasn’t _that_ fast, Nobu-kun,” she turned to the third year. “She looked funny, actually. She kinda looks like Kenma when we’re doing our calisthenics.”

“Woah, Kenma! Did you hear that? Are you just gonna let her say that about you--?”

“Shut up, Tora. I don’t really care.”

“Ha ha. Tora got shut down.”

“Shut up, Fukunaga! This isn’t what I meant when I said you should talk more!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! as always, leave your thoughts! :)
> 
> the extra at the end is a tribute to the other fic that inspired me to write this story in the first place -- Managing the Cat's Den by edensgarden! a huge shoutout to eden, one of my dear friends in the haikyuu fandom!
> 
> also, this won't be the only cameo by our fav cats and their manager-chan. as mentioned in this chapter, golden week is coming 👀
> 
> P.S. Tune in on August 8th 11:00pm, GMT+8 for a separate special chapter! 😋


	7. Sick Day Off, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought true friendships can last for a long time.  
> Hanamaki thought so, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the kind words! 🥰
> 
> i was laughing my ass off when i read some people's speculations that kunimi is the one who's "dead" HAHA (i love it!!! i love how Yahaba's name was the one mentioned in the phone call but yall suspected it had something to do with kunimi 😂). anyways, here's what really happened with the team during that infamous phone call! i hope you guys enjoy this 😋💖
> 
> also, there's a small Mean Girls reference in this chap *wink wink* let me know if you spotted it!
> 
> (in case some of u will be confused, the events at the start of this chap happened BEFORE that shaky phone call 😊)

“I swear! She’s some sort of superwoman!”

“Who? [Y/N]?” Matsukawa asked his pink-haired best friend as they took a break from practice. The rest of the team gathered around them and watched as Oikawa and Iwaizumi talked with the coaches.

“Of course it’s [Y/N],” Hanamaki raised his arms for emphasis. “She knows everything, I tell you! We can’t even last thirty minutes without calling her for something.”

“Must be a manager thing,” Mattsun offered, putting a finger to his chin. “That’s why their clipboards are so big, they’re full of secrets.”

“I kinda feel bad that we’re bothering [Y/N]-senpai while she’s sick…” Kindaichi murmured, earning collective nods from most of the team.

“Yeah,” Watari added. “Her voice sounded hoarse when it was my turn to call her.”

“It’s not like we can help it, though,” Makki said, wiping sweat from his face with a towel. “She’s the only one who knows our shit.”

“At least she gets to skip practice…”

“Kunimi, you lazy ass!”

“Alright, everyone!” The team turned to face the approaching figure of their captain. Oikawa clapped his hands while his vice-captain walked beside him. “The coaches will be out for a bit. Hustle up, boys! I’m in charge now.”

“He left us  _ both  _ in charge.”

“Iwa-chan! Let me have my moment, will you?”

Iwaizumi sighed. “Alright everyone, I was thinking we could practice our serves for now. From what we’ve seen, Shiratorizawa has some killer serves and if we don’t step up with ours, we’ll have a smaller chance of—”

“Iwa-chan, if you think too hard when you don't have a brain, you're going to hurt your head— ack!”

The scene was a regular occurence — Iwaizumi headbutted Oikawa, Makki caught the setter’s water bottle when it went flying out of his grip, and Mattsun sported an amused grin.

“Senpai?” Yahaba stepped forward, putting away his water bottle and towel. “Should we get started on our serves?”

Oikawa promptly shook his head. “No.”

_ “Oikawa!” _

“Just listen, Iwa-chan!” The captain turned to face the team. “Everyone, I know we’ve been calling [Y/N]-chan nonstop even though she’s sick and we’re definitely not helping her get better anytime soon. But stay calm, everyone—“

“We  _ are _ calm,” Mattsun said.

“—there’s no need to worry. Your captain has figured out a way to help our precious manager feel better!”

“Ah, shit,” Iwaizumi turned to Kindaichi. “I don’t like the sound of this…”

“Maybe we should hear him out, Iwaizumi-san…” Kindaichi chuckled sheepishly.

“What are you planning, Oikawa?”

“Funny you should ask, Makki—“

“I think he was just begging to be asked…” Kunimi muttered quietly.

“—I think we should send [Y/N]-chan an apology video!”

“Hm,” Iwaizumi hummed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but Oikawa’s actually talking some sense, for once…” The rest of the team murmured in agreement.

One hour later, the vice-captain immediately regretted his earlier words as the team started filming for the apology video in the most unconventional way possible.  _ I knew it. Oikawa and common sense never blended well together... _

On one side of the gym, Kunimi was acting as cameraman and holding up Oikawa’s phone. On the other side, the rest of the team was forming none other than a  _ three-level _ pyramid — with Iwaizumi, Matsukawa and Hanamaki as the base, Kindaichi and Yahaba on the second level, and of course, Oikawa at the very top.

Watari was at the back of the pyramid acting as a spotter and frankly, he was quite thankful to be given such a role as he eyed the shaky stunt the team was trying to pull off.  _ We’re volleyball players, not cheerleaders. Maybe we should stick to a normal apology video… _

“Alright, boys,” Oikawa clapped his hands, which probably wasn’t a good idea because he started to wobble.

“Oikawa, stop moving,” Mattsun quickly grabbed Kindaichi’s and Yahaba’s legs to steady them.

Watari’s heart started beating faster in fear. “Oikawa-san, please be careful…”

“There, there, see.” The captain managed to regain his balance. “This is easy!” —  _ (“Don’t push it, Shittykawa!”)  _ — “Alright, guys! Just like we practiced, okay? On my count.”

“One.” The team glanced nervously at the camera.

“Two.” Oikawa flashed a bright smile.

“Three.” Kunimi pressed record.

“WE MISS YOU, [Y/N]! GET WELL SOON SO YOU CAN—“

_ Oh no... _

Kunimi watched in horror as Oikawa lost his balance and the pyramid started wobbling. It was when Oikawa started to fall that made Kunimi drop the captain’s phone to the ground with a loud  _ clank! _

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Just as Oikawa was falling, Watari, Kunimi, and Iwaizumi instinctively made a run for him. Since Iwaizumi was at the base, Kindaichi and Yahaba lost their balance as well when he left his place.

Thankfully, Mattsun and Makki immediately caught Kindaichi and Yahaba while Watari was the one who managed to catch Oikawa but the captain’s weight almost had the libero toppling over before Iwaizumi backed him up. Kunimi, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nice receive…”

“Wow,” Makki said in amazement, arms still holding up Yahaba bridal style. “Did that really just happen?”

“I think it really did,” Mattsun replied with Kindaichi still in his arms. “Nice dig, Watari.”

Watari grimaced while Oikawa climbed off of him. The captain looked around at the rest of the team as everyone straightened up.

“Well, that went well…”

A vein popped on Iwaizumi’s forehead at his best friend’s choice of words. He seethed and took a step towards Oikawa while the setter trembled and took a frightened step back.

“Um, Oikawa-san…” They turned to look at Kunimi who was holding up a battered and bruised phone. “I accidentally dropped your phone when you started to fall. Sorry about that…”

“Eh, don’t mind, Kunimi,” Oikawa said, taking his phone from the first year. “I’ve been wanting a new one, anyway.”

“Does it still work?” Iwaizumi asked, earlier wrath forgotten as he looked over the setter’s shoulder to take a look.

“I think so,” Oikawa replied before he pressed a few buttons and locked the phone. “Phew! That was close! We’re lucky  **[Y/N]** isn’t here and the  **coaches are out** , too.”

“It’s also a good thing none of us  **got injured** or we’d be as  **good as dead** when they come back.” The team nodded furiously at Mattsun’s words. “They would’ve been furious. I mean,  **Yahaba’s the only one** out of us who could’ve pulled off a decent first aid.”

“Well, now that that’s over,” Makki stepped forward. “How about we practice our serves, yeah?”

The next thirty minutes were spent with the team finally strengthening their serves as Iwaizumi had suggested earlier. It almost seemed as if the pyramid attempt never happened but a big bold reminder showed itself a few moments later when the gym doors burst open.

“[Y/N]-chan!”

“I’M HERE! I’M HERE, GUYS! WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED? WHERE’S YAHABA? PLEASE TELL ME HE’S NOT DEAD—“

“Wha—? [Y/N], what are you doing here?” Mattsun rushed over and smoothed out the cooling patch on your forehead that was starting to peel off. “You should be resting. What are you doing on your feet?”

“Mattsun! We need to help Yahaba! He can’t be dead, he’s still too young—“

“Um,” Yahaba stepped forward in your line of sight. “I’m not dead, [Y/N]-senpai. At least, I don’t think so. Where did you get that idea?”

“What?! But I— They said—“

“Who said, [Y/N]?”

“Iwa, someone said… Y-You guys called me… said someone was injured… good as dead… Yahaba’s name… I came here as fast as I could…”

“Uh oh,” Oikawa wore a grim expression as he quickly took out his phone. “Oops. Our bad, [Y/N]-chan. You see, Kunimi accidentally dropped my phone earlier. It must have been acting up and called you by mistake…”

“So no one’s injured?”

“Nope.”

“And no one died?”

“Uh, I don’t think so…”

You were left speechless for a moment as you looked around at the apologetic faces of the team.

“Guys?” You said slowly as you began to sway and lose consciousness. “I think I’m gonna pass out…”

The last things you noticed were the concerned voices of the team —  _ (“She’s falling! Someone catch her!”)  _ — and strong arms catching you before you completely blacked out.

+++++

“Oh! You’re finally awake!”

You squinted your eyes to see that you were laying down in the school clinic and Makki was sitting next to your bed.

“What are you doing here?”

“I brought you here after you fainted. The nurse had to leave for an errand after she checked up on you so she asked me to stay with you.”

“She asked  _ you _ to watch over me? Talk about poor judgment…”

“There it is, you’re cracking jokes again! That’s better, you don’t sound too sick anymore.” Makki laughed. “You know, [Y/N], if you wanted me to catch you so much, you should’ve just said so. You didn’t have to faint.”

You groaned and threw a pillow at him but he dodged it expertly and laughed.

“I’m impressed, though,” he said, looking at you with an awed expression. “You really ran all the way here even though you’re sick. I mean, I always knew you took your job as a manager seriously, but this is different.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you are one  _ dedicated _ manager. Seriously, the team is so lucky to have you.”

“Oh, Makki, what’s this?” You cracked a teasing smile. “Going all sentimental on me?” He threw a pillow at you. “Hey, hey! Don’t go attacking a sick girl!”

“Eh? You’re not sick! You just pretended to faint because you felt embarrassed in front of the team.” Makki stuck out his tongue out at you while you groaned.

“I can’t wait until I go to college!” You stopped for a moment to cough. “Then I’d finally be free from you guys. You’re all so annoying! I swear, you guys are gonna be the death of me”

“Shut up, [Y/N]. You know you love us.”

“That remains to be seen— ow!” You rubbed the spot where he flicked your forehead. When the sting subsided, you looked over at your pink-haired friend as a thought crossed your mind. “Where are you going to college, Makki? I never asked you before...”

“Don’t know yet. Matsukawa and I will be going over our applications this weekend.”

“You’ll choose the same university, then?”

“Duh! We’re the Meme Team, [Y/N], you can’t separate us that easily.”

You laughed at him, admiring how he seemed so sure of himself — of his friendships, of his future. The topic of college, though, made a fleeting thought cross your mind and you couldn’t help but voice it out.

“Do you think…” you trailed off. “Do you think we’ll all still be friends… after we graduate?” You looked him in the eye, a hint of red on your cheeks at the sudden turn of the conversation. “Do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re all grown up and crazy busy?”

Makki looked at you thoughtfully for a moment and you actually thought he was gonna make fun of you. But the volleyball player took you by surprise when he opted for putting his elbow on the top of your bed and leaning his cheek on his palm. “[Y/N], you know what I’ve realized over the years?”

“What?”

“It’s that some friendships may come and go but the most important ones — the  _ true  _ friendships — can last a long time. So don’t worry, I promise we’ll all still be friends after all of this.”

“You really think so?”

“I’m positive. So don’t go worrying about that, okay? Is that the reason why you’re sick? Burned yourself out thinking we’re all just gonna forget each other after college?”

“Uh, not really. It just crossed my mind—“

“That’s so stupid, [Y/N]. Even if we can’t see each other as much in the future, I bet you anything that Oikawa would still spam our groupchat with annoying selfies every ten minutes.”

You laughed at that, feeling more and more contented as the seconds passed. You ruffled Makki’s hair and gave him a soft smile.

“Thanks, Makki.”

+++++

**_Extra:_ **

“We could cut the video right here. It probably doesn’t look too obvious if we stop the clip at this timestamp.”

“No, look here,” Mattsun took the phone from Iwaizumi and pointed at Oikawa’s right foot on the screen. “Oikawa’s foot began to slip at this time. It’s kinda noticeable.”

“But if we cut the clip any earlier than that, [Y/N]-chan can’t completely make out what we’re all saying,” Oikawa whined.

“Oikawa-san, maybe we should just make another apology video…”

The captain gasped. “Kindaichi, that’s perfect! I just happened to have another idea on what we could do for the new apology video! I was thinking we could—“

“Captain, I think what Kindaichi’s saying,” Watari said, “is that we should do a normal video this time…”

“B-But… but…”

“No  _ buts _ , Shittykawa. Come on, we should start filming that damned video before [Y/N] goes back home.”

The rest of the team shuffled around to get started. Oikawa, however, didn’t move from where he stood, his face sporting a pout.

_ But I really wanted all of us to do backflips... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! as always, leave your thoughts! :) <3
> 
> *cough* golden week is drawing nearer *cough* 👀  
> yall know who's in town during golden week 😉
> 
> P.S. Tune in on August 8th 11:00pm, GMT+8 for a separate special chapter! 😋


	8. Grocery Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you could go grocery shopping without a hitch.  
> The Nekoma Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.
> 
> Or—
> 
> You thought you could let go of your inhibitions for once.  
> Kunimi thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone!!! :D
> 
> so the time has come to tribute the lovely Eden and our favorite team of cats! golden week is here and i'm splitting it into three parts. here's part 1 and enjoy the little cameo from Nekoma! :3
> 
> also, i kinda got carried away while writing this so i ended up writing another cameo 👀 well, it's not really a cameo but more like a teaser appearance? HAHA
> 
> before we get on with the chap, i have some great news! another lovely person has joined our little community!! a big shoutout to [espeos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/espeos/pseuds/espeos) for adding inarizaki to our manager!au stories! check out her fic Inarizaki Memories [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25925998)! 🥰
> 
> now, on with the chap! 😋

“Stupid camp. Stupid training. Stupid week.”

Everything was stupid but unfortunately, only the rice grains, the meal ingredients, and the kitchenware could hear your grumbling.

“Stupid manager duties.” You continued grumbling as you stood in the pristine Home Economics room of Aoba Johsai Private High School. You carefully measured out a generous amount of rice that would be enough to feed a pack of teenage boys — _athletic_ boys, in fact, who had stupidly endless appetites — and their coaches.

“Who said I had to be the one to cook, huh? This happens all the time. Why is it always me?”

You plugged in the rice cooker — a noble invention for strong, independent women like you — and washed your hands in the sink.

“Okay, so _maybe_ this is part of my job description,” you chuckled to yourself. “That doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. And why couldn’t any of the first years help me out, hm?”

It was a good thing no one else was in the room with you because you probably looked super crazy at that moment, grumbling to yourself and talking to imaginary ears. It was a good thing you were alone, too, because your next actions would have been too embarrassing.

You took out your tablet, propped it on a clean part of the kitchen counter, and opened your favorite cooking channel on YouTube. You clicked on the video you had saved in your ‘Watch Later’ and immediately swooned at the person on the screen.

“Well, _hello_ there, Mr. Handsome,” you sighed dreamily at the defined facial features, dyed gray hair, and considerably fit figure of your favorite YouTuber.

Miya Osamu was your secret little crush, your guilty pleasure, and despite your earlier grumbling, you couldn’t help but feel relieved that you were in charge of the cooking because it may or may not have given you an opportunity to do some private fangirling.

“Ya gotta make sure ya let the freshly cooked rice cool a bit before ya start formin’ the rice ball,” droned the deep calm voice of Osamu from your tablet. “Make sure it’s not too hot or yer gonna hurt yerself.”

“Oh, Miya-kun,” you cooed. “You’re so concerned about me. So thoughtful…”

“Now, it’s important to remember that no matter what fillin’ ya choose for yer rice ball, the rice itself should still be delicious. That’s what makes the whole onigiri yummy.”

“Mhm, _you’re_ yummy, Mr. Handsome.” You let out the most pathetic giggle known to man and reached out a finger to touch Osamu’s face through the screen.

You supposed it was a bit out of character for you to be behaving the way you were but that’s the beauty of being alone by yourself — no scrutinizing eyes, no eavesdropping ears, no audience. You could freely let go of your inhibitions without anyone judging you.

Or so you thought.

“[Y/N]-senpai…”

The familiar voice startled you out of your lovestruck daze and as a result, you accidentally pushed your tablet off the counter and sent it toppling to the floor. With wide eyes, you met Kunimi’s gaze as he stood by the doorway.

The both of you stared at each other with Osamu’s voice still droning on in the background.

“Should I come back after a few seconds and pretend I didn’t see anything?”

_Bless his soul. Kunimi was a genius._

You merely nodded, still horrified at the fact that one of the team — one of your _kouhais_ , no less — caught you in the middle of your fangirling. Kunimi headed back outside while you, in record speed, picked up your tablet, turned it off, and took a deep breath. When the first year came back into the room, you had already schooled your features into a more nonchalant expression.

Your eyes met again — your twitching eyes meeting his bored ones — but like hell were you going to acknowledge what happened earlier.

You cleared your throat. “Kunimi-kun, can I help you with anything?”

The first year just looked at you (if you squinted hard enough, you could see he was unimpressed) before sighing. “They told me to help you cook.”

“Ah,” you hummed coolly. “Thank you for the offer but I’m perfectly fine cooking for you lot on my own.”

“But earlier, you were grumbling about why the first years won’t help you with the food…”

This time, you really did choke on your own spit. _Shit, he heard that? Just how long was he standing there while I made a fool of myself?!_

Clearing your throat, you shrugged your shoulders just as the rice cooker lit up. “Well, if you insist…” You turned your back on him and went to the appliance, opening the cover. “Why don’t you set up our toppings on the counter?”

Without another word, the two of you went to work. Kunimi, lazy and unmotivated as he was, was surprisingly very easy to work with. He understood your instructions clearly and perfectly executed them. Not to mention, he didn’t get tired easily — a very important trait when preparing food for a whole volleyball club — but that was probably from his _talent_ of reserving energy.

“You know,” you murmured as the two of you were in the middle of shaping the rice balls. “I think I kinda get what Oikawa meant now. You’re pretty efficient, Kunimi-kun, especially after we’ve been going at it for a while now.”

“I suppose…”

“That’s actually pretty big-brained, now that I think about it.” You clicked your tongue. “So just when everyone’s getting tired from going all out since the beginning, you still have energy left.”

“So Oikawa-san told you, then?” The wing spiker said in his usual neutral tone. “Yeah, I don’t really like going all out…”

“I kinda figured that out for myself,” you said sarcastically but Kunimi was unfazed. “And here I thought you were just lazy—“

“I am.”

“No, but you’re the smart kind of lazy, you get what I’m saying?” You laughed. “ _Conserving energy_ … Ha! They should make that into an official volleyball technique. It’s pure genius!”

“Sure, [Y/N]-senpai…”

“Oh, come on, now. I just complimented you. Smile some more, you idiot. Show me some spirit!”

“I don’t really—“

“There it is!” You had placed a finger on each corner of his lips and pushed his mouth into a smile. “See! That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

The powerless first year merely scowled.

+++++

“[Y/N]-chan! You’re the best cook ever!”

“Don’t talk while you’re chewing, Trashykawa!”

You laughed, taking a sip of your orange juice as you sat with the other third years and the coaches in one of the tables in the cafeteria. “Thanks, Oikawa. But Kunimi actually helped out a lot.”

“Kunimi? Helping out?” Matsukawa snickered.

“That kid actually _moved_? Ha!” Hanamaki burst out laughing.

“You make a good team, then. Great job,” Coach Mizoguchi smiled at you. You bowed your head at him in thanks.

“Thank you for cooking for us, [Y/N],” Coach Irihata said, having finished with his meal. “Speaking of, how’s our meal plan for the week? You got all the ingredients?”

“Actually, Coach,” you took out a paper from your pocket and unfolded it. “We lack a few ingredients. Would it be alright if I skip practice for today to go to the grocery?”

“Sure. Take some of these guys with you.”

“I’ll go! I’ll go with— ack!”

“You’re supposed to be matching up with Kindaichi, Shittykawa. Didn’t you just say that his point of impact was one ball’s width farther?”

“Take those two, then.” Coach Mizoguchi pointed at Makki and Mattsun while Oikawa pouted. “Just remember to account for all the expenses.”

“Yes, sir.”

+++++

“What’s next on the list?”

“Just one more thing,” Mattsun replied, eyes scanning your list of ingredients. “Rolled oats.”

“I think I saw those in Aisle 13,” Makki offered, already pushing your grocery cart to the direction of said aisle. You and Mattsun followed suit.

“I can’t believe you guys are such experts on picking fresh produce,” you hummed, eyeing the differently colored vegetables in your cart, all scrutinized and picked by the two best friends.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about us, [Y/N].”

“Yeah, just last week, I ordered a new magnifying glass.”

“And the week before that, I got some old case files in the mail.”

“Okay?” Your response turned out as more of a question, not really understanding the connection between picking vegetables and magnifying lens and case files. “Do I even wanna know what that’s about?”

“Who wouldn’t wanna know?”

You turned the corner of Aisle 13 and saw that there was only one pack of rolled oats left. You reached towards the oats, still busy casually talking with Hanamaki and Matsukawa, but just as you gripped one side of the package, another hand held on to the other side.

You both froze.

You looked up to the owner of said hand — the hand that still didn’t let go of the oats, mind you — and saw that it was a girl about your age more or less, wearing a red-and-black version of your own white-and-turquoise tracksuit, and looked to be from out of town.

“Uh oh,” you vaguely heard Mattsun murmur.

“This is gonna be interesting,” Makki rubbed his hands together in glee.

You cleared your throat, grip not letting go of the last pack of oats. “Uh, excuse me, miss. But, uh, I was hoping to buy these…”

The girl smiled at you. It wasn’t a malicious smile or anything. It was a genuine smile that said she understood what you were saying but sadly, she also had the same predicament. “I’m sorry, miss, but I was also hoping to get these…”

You both looked at each other, neither one letting go. You also opened your mouths at the same time but just as the two of you were about to say something, an unfamiliar voice cut in.

“Senpai!”

A taller boy with silver hair, wearing the same red and black tracksuit, came up to the girl’s side, accompanied by two other red-clad boys — a tall smirking guy with weirdly styled black hair and a shorter blond guy playing a video game.

“Lev!” The girl exclaimed at the taller guy before turning to the rooster-head. “Kuroo, did you get the snacks I told you?”

“Yeah, sorry we took so long. Kenma here bumped into the shelf because he wouldn’t take his eyes off the game.”

“Kenma,” the girl turned to the shorter guy now, scowling as she placed her free hand on her hip. “What did I tell you about watching where you’re going?”

As she was reprimanding the blond kid, you took this as an opportunity to quietly tug at the package of oats out of her hold. She quickly noticed, however, and tightened her grip on the package. She turned to you with the same scowl she gave the so called ‘Kenma’. “Woah there, miss—“

“[Y/N].” You told her, face sporting a sheepish expression.

“Huh?”

“You can call me [Y/N], and I’m sorry! I couldn’t help myself. I really need these oats! I have a pack of volleyball idiots to feed…”

“Well, I’m sorry, [Y/N], but I need these oats, too! I have a bunch of cats to cook for and— Wait a minute! Did you just say _volleyball idiots_?”

“Uh, yeah,” you said slowly. “Wait, don’t tell me… You manage a volleyball club, too?”

“I do! You’re one, too, huh?” She looked at you fondly, eyes shining with unshed happy tears. “Eek! You must know all about the woes of being a manager, too!”

“Oh my God,” you were shocked to find that your eyes were brimming with happy tears as well. You couldn’t help it, though, especially when you met someone with the same _troubles_ as you. “Woes? That’s it! That’s exactly the proper term. I’ve never had a stress-free day in my life since managing these idiots!”

“Oh my, [Y/N]-chan,” she linked her arm with yours. “I know the feeling! Just a few weeks ago, I was hit by a volleyball to the face!”

“Me too! Well, er, it was by another team.”

“Sister! Please! Tell me all about your troubles!”

After dropping the single package of rolled oats to Hanamaki’s cart, with a promise to evenly split the full pack into two equal measurements between the two teams after paying for it in the checkout counter, the two of you linked arms yet again and walked together. You shared stories about the works and woes of being a manager, leaving behind your other companions to follow along.

+++++

**_Extra 1:_ **

“Hey, aren’t they those kitty cats from Tokyo?”

“Huh?”

Matsukawa leaned closer to whisper to his best friend, “You know those videos Watari always watches? That Tokyo team he admires because they always dig the ball?”

“Oh! That’s _them_?!”

“Yeah… That’s Nekoma…”

“They’re… tall. Dammit, what are they doing here in Miyagi?”

“Who knows?”

The two glared at the red-clad boys walking a good distance from them. _A Tokyo Team, huh? Wait until we tell the others…_

+++++

**_Extra 2:_ **

“Kuroo-san, they’re staring at us…”

“Who?”

“Them,” Lev whispered, discreetly gesturing towards Hanamaki and Matsukawa. “Are they from _that_ school? The one you told us about? The one led by Ushiwakamaru?”

“I keep telling you,” Kuroo sighed. “It’s _Ushiwaka_ , not Ushiwakamaru. And no, they’re not from Shiratorizawa…”

“They’re from Aoba Johsai.”

“Kenma-san?”

“White and turquoise, those are Aoba Johsai’s colors,” Kenma said indifferently, eyes fixed on his POP.

“Aoba Johsai? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them…”

“Of course not,” Kuroo chimed. “They’ve never been to Nationals. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t good. I hear they’ve got some killer serves and are looking to overthrow Shiratorizawa this year…”

The Nekoma boys (well, except for Kenma) glared at the turquoise-clad boys walking a good distance from them. _Killer serves, huh? Watch us dig every single one…_

+++++

**_Extra 3:_ **

_The next day during practice…_

“Uh, Kunimi? Why does it feel like [Y/N]-senpai’s giving you special treatment?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” Kindaichi pestered his closest friend some more. “She’s been giving you extra helpings during meals. She makes sure to give you your water bottle first during breaks. She’s not even shouting at you during practice anymore.”

“Jeez, Kindaichi. Were you really keeping count?”

“Well, I just— I mean, I’m not really—“

Kunimi sighed. “She’s just making sure I don’t spill her little crush.”

Kindaichi’s eyes widened. _Crush? [Y/N]-senpai has a crush? And why did Kunimi, of all people, know?_

“Ohoho, what’s this I hear? [Y/N]-chan has a crush?”

The two first years turned to see the mischievous expression on their captain’s face. Oikawa approached the two, with Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki in tow, while the rest of the team started to gather in a circle.

_“[Y/N] with a crush?!”_

_“That can’t be right!”_

_“But she’s our manager…”_

_“So that means she can’t have a crush?”_

“Who is it?! Tell us the name!”

Kunimi scowled at the sudden loud energy surrounding him, immediately regretting he ever said anything. _Seriously, my voice wasn’t even that loud. How did they hear me?_

+++++

**_Extra 4:_ **

_Meanwhile, in Hyogo…_

“Osamu, phone.”

“What?” Osamu looked up from the batch of onigiri he was making and looked at Suna lounging on his living room couch.

“Phone.” The middle blocker said, not bothering to look up from his phone.

“He said yer phone just chimed,” Atsumu said on the other side of the couch, eyes also trained on his phone screen.

After washing his hands, Osamu went to the living room to get his phone. It was an email notification about a comment on his latest YouTube video. Normally, the wing spiker muted his notifications for comments, choosing instead to read through and reply to them in his free time. This one particular commenter, however, was his exception.

_[User Y/N1994 commented on your video: “Great video as always, Miya-kun! Will definitely try out this recipe xx :D”]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did u guys expect that cameo from inarizaki?? 👀 HAHAHA see, i told u i got carried away 😂 my goal now is to somehow magically make all the other schools make a cameo as well lmao
> 
> anyways, thank you guys for reading and supporting!! as always, feel free to leave your thoughts here in the comments or in my tumblr 'akasuns' 😘💖


	9. School Mascot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you could have an uneventful Golden Week.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, lovely people!
> 
> before we start, let me just say that this chapter was inspired by this adorable fanart right [here](https://koiietseal.tumblr.com/post/152579437522/school-spirit-and-bonus-to-commemorate-haikyuu) :D
> 
> on with the chap! 😎

“A-Are you sure? Do you… Do you really want to do this?”

You looked at Iwaizumi’s determined expression, his hand gripping your arm as he looked at you with an intense gaze.

“[Y/N], I’ve wanted this since our first year.”

“But—”

“Look,” he let go of your arm and rubbed his face with both his hands. “All I’m asking is for you to try…” He looked up at you then. “Please? For me?”

You sighed after a moment. “Alright, I-I’ll try…”

It was impossible not to notice how the ace’s face instantly lit up at your words. You still couldn’t believe his request earlier when he cornered you. But, then again, he almost never asked you for anything before so you really couldn’t say no to him.

“I’m sorry, Iwa,” you said a few moments later, your eyes downcast on the ground. “I tried… I-I really did but—”

“It’s alright, [Y/N],” he said, stepping backwards to put a considerable distance between the two of you. “You did nothing wrong… I shouldn’t have asked this of you…”

He sighed dejectedly before turning around to head to the door. The tension between the two of you became too much and you couldn’t resist calling out after him.

“Iwa, wait!”

He stopped just as he was one foot out the door, his ears perking up at your voice. You hurriedly continued, “F-For what it’s worth, I, uh, still think you’re amazing… This doesn’t change anything…”

It was quiet for a moment before Iwaizumi nodded. “It’s fine, [Y/N]... I guess it’s just not meant to be…”

He was already out the doorway when you heard him utter a few more words.

“I guess I’ll never be taller than Oikawa.”

Your heart broke at how his voice cracked at the end. _This was too much! Iwaizumi is an amazing player, he doesn’t deserve this injustice!_

But life wasn’t fair, and unfortunately for Iwaizumi, he had to learn that the hard way. So without another word, you started putting away your measuring equipment, all the while ignoring the information sheet with bold letters and numbers mocking you in your peripheral vision.

_#1 — Oikawa Tooru, Setter, 3rd Year, **184.3 cm**_

_#4 — Iwaizumi Hajime, Wing Spiker, 3rd Year, **179.3 cm**_

+++++

“What’s wrong with him?”

You looked up as Matsukawa approached you, Makki tagging along behind him. The middle blocker gestured to the other side of the gym where Iwaizumi was doing his stretches, eyes glaring at Oikawa who had already finished with his and was drinking from his water bottle.

“The Inter-High pamphlets came out today,” you sighed. “He still can’t accept that Oikawa’s taller than him by a good five centimeters…”

“So?” Hanamaki scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Didn’t he already know that weeks ago when we had our measurements? Why is he sulking about it _now_?”

“Maybe Oikawa rubbed it in his face again?” Mattsun put a finger to his chin in thought.

“He asked me to measure his height again, just in case he managed to grow a bit since then,” you laughed at the two’s antics. “Seriously, you guys should just stop trying to understand those two. You’ll only end up with a migraine. Anyways, I have more important news!” You took out the pamphlet you received earlier that day and flipped to the page you had marked.

“Look at this!” You pointed a finger at the part of the page that had shocked you earlier. “Shiratorizawa replaced their starting setter!”

Makki and Mattsun automatically leaned down to see that indeed, Shiratorizawa had replaced their third year setter Semi Eita, with the second year Shirabu Kenjiro.

“What the—”

“What are they—”

“I know!” You let go of the pamphlet so they could hold it themselves. “I was so surprised earlier when I saw it.”

“But didn’t that Semi guy have wicked power?”

“Yeah, and he’s got some killer serves, too! I wonder why they replaced him?”

“Beats me,” you shrugged. “I just don’t get why they chose now of all times to spice things up. I mean, they already kept winning with the way they were before. Why change things?”

“Ah, but that’s just it, [Y/N],” Makki ruffled your hair mockingly. “They know they’ll win, either way, so they’re choosing now to test different things.”

“And not to mention,” Mattsun added. “It’s always nice to branch out of your comfort zone and explore new things.”

“I guess you guys are right,” you pushed Makki’s hands away from your hair before straightening up. “I feel bad for that Semi guy, though… And it’s his final year, too! Poor him...”

The two best friends froze at your words. They quickly stole a glance at each other before nodding and instantly flocking to you.

“HA! SO IT’S HIM, ISN’T IT?”

“IT’S THAT SEMI GUY, RIGHT? OH MY GOD, [Y/N]!”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Unfortunately for you, their outburst garnered the attention of the entire gym and you were suddenly thankful that the coaches weren’t here. But still, you were shocked to find that in a matter of seconds, the rest of the team had started crowding around you, too.

“SERIOUSLY, [Y/N]? FROM SHIRATORIZAWA? HOW COULD YOU?”

“SOME MANAGER YOU ARE! PROVE YOUR LOYALTY TO US, WOMAN!”

“What’s going on here?” Iwaizumi butted in while the rest of the team stared at Hanamaki and Matsukawa in confusion. “Why are you two shouting?”

Oikawa turned to look at you. “[Y/N]-chan, what did you do?”

You scoffed. “Why are you asking me? These idiots are the ones who started shouting for no reason.”

“Oikawa,” Makki started, pointing a finger at you accusingly. “It’s that setter guy from Shiratorizawa!”

“That ash blonde third year!” Mattsun aided his best friend, also pointing a finger at you. “He’s [Y/N]’s crush!”

_Silence._

Your mouth dropped open in shock and so did the rest of the team’s. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop and you wasted no time in thanking your lucky stars that the coaches had an errand today and weren’t around to hear the stupid things that came out of Makki and Mattsun’s lips.

“What the fuck?” You growled at the two before turning around to the rest of the team. “I don’t feel anything for that guy!”

“Liar! Liar!” _Thank you, Makki._

“Pants on fire!” _And there goes Mattsun._

“You two better square up or I swear I’ll—”

“Senpai?” Yahaba stared at you in disbelief, while Watari and Kindaichi gaped at you.

“Is it true, [Y/N]?” Iwaizumi looked like he couldn’t care less but he was still curious.

“Tsk, tsk,” Oikawa tutted at you. “I’m so disappointed in you, [Y/N]-chan… Of all the people, it had to be someone from Shiratorizawa…” He muttered the last word in a disgusted voice.

“What is wrong with you, guys? First of all, I don’t even know that Semi dude! Second of all,” you took a deep breath. “I DON’T HAVE A CRUSH ON ANYONE!”

“Wow! Such dishonest words coming from her mouth! Can you believe this, Hanamaki?”

“No, I can’t believe it, Matsukawa. Does she kiss her family with that mouth?”

“I’m telling the truth!” You were exasperated that you even have to spell it out for them. “I don’t have a crush on anyone and—”

“But, senpai,” Kindaichi piped up before nudging Kunimi with his elbow. “Go on, Kunimi, tell her!”

“Kunimi?” You gaped at Kunimi in disbelief, the puzzle pieces finally clicking in your brain and realization dawned on you as to why the team was acting the way they were.

Kunimi’s usually bored face was now morphed in discomfort. He obviously wasn’t fond of being the center of attention but he didn’t even say anything to anyone about your little secret.

All of you stared at him, waiting expectantly. He sighed before turning to you. “I didn’t tell them anything.” He then turned to the rest of the team. “It’s not that guy from Shiratorizawa.”

“KUNIMI!” The first year flinched when all of you screamed in unison — you in exasperation and the team in disbelief.

“So who is it?”

“From our school?”

“From another team?”

“From another country?”

“From Karasuno? Did you remember how cosy she seemed with their captain?”

“Maybe it’s Ushijima? Didn’t he say he was a fan of her essays in the local newspaper?”

“IT IS NOT USHIWAKA! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE SHE HAS A CRUSH ON USHIWAKA!”

“Maybe it’s not a volleyball player?”

“From the soccer team, perhaps?”

You remained quiet as you listened to all of them rambling about _your_ personal life. You took a deep breath before mentally counting to three.

You cleared your throat, steam coming out of your ears. “You guys...” you seethed in a menacing tone that made all of them shudder, “...have until the count of three to stop sticking your noses into my personal life. Get. Back. To. Practice. Now!”

Instantly, the team dispersed and went to different parts of the gym to get started with their training routines. Meanwhile, you took another deep breath to calm yourself and, like a switch in your brain, you went into full “manager mode” and proceeded to oversee their practice.

_Another day, another migraine… This week is gonna be a long one._

+++++

“Iwa-chan, please!”

“For the last time, Trashykawa, no! Get back to practice.”

“But Iwa-chan, it’s not fair!”

“What’s not fair?” You butted in, clipboard and pen in hand. “Why aren’t you practicing like I told you?”

Iwaizumi sighed and rubbed his temples. “Oikawa was looking at the pamphlet and started yapping about how cool the other teams’ mascots were. He wants us to have one, too.”

Your mouth dropped open in shock for the hundredth time that day before you turned to Oikawa. “Are you actually serious? _That’s_ what you’re concerned about?”

“Hmph,” Oikawa pouted. “As a matter of fact, yes, [Y/N]-chan! I’m very much disturbed by that fact and I will not have you invalidating my feelings. As the captain of this team, I will now call for an emergency meeting.”

He turned towards the other members who were on different sides of the gym. “Team! Gather ‘round! Emergency meeting, right now!”

Like knights obeying orders from their king, the rest of the team immediately jogged over to where the three of you were standing and looked at their captain expectantly.

“We have a problem—“

“Stop being dramatic, Shittykawa!”

“—and we need a solution now! ASAP!”

“What’s wrong, Oikawa-san?” Watari asked, concern gracing his voice.

“Thanks to the Inter-High pamphlet brought to us by our lovely manager—“

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Oikawa.”

“—it has come to my attention that we don’t have a school mascot.”

_Silence._

The setter looked around at the team expectantly. “What? Do you guys not see the urgency of this situation?”

The team just stared at him in complete utter silence. _In all fairness, the team’s acting quite sensibly to their captain’s craziness today…_

“Why aren’t you guys more upset?!” The captain waved his arms around in frustration. “We — _the_ Aoba Johsai, one of the top teams in the whole prefecture, the ones who _will_ be going to Nationals this year — don’t have a mascot?! Do you not see how alarming this is?”

“Well… it would be nice to have something that represents us as a team and our school in general,” Yahaba murmured.

“Hm,” you hummed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think Oikawa’s on to something…”

“See?!” Oikawa’s eyes lit up at the team’s agreement. “So let’s see…” He put a finger to his chin in thought. “Shiratorizawa has an eagle…”

“And, um, Karasuno has crows,” Kindaichi offered.

“Dateko doesn’t use animals, though, do they?” Iwaizumi asked out loud.

“No,” Makki answered, “but they do have that Iron Wall brand going on—“

“Which is so cool, by the way!” Mattsun exclaimed to which his best friend said, “I know, right?”

“What else, what else,” Watari hummed. “We could be foxes?”

“Nah, some team in Hyogo call themselves foxes. What about cats? Owls? Snakes?”

Iwaizumi shook his head. “All taken.”

“Sharks?”

You grimaced, “I don’t anyone’s gonna like us if we’re sharks.”

“Dogs?” Kindaichi offered before turning to his friend. “What do you think, Kunimi?”

“I don’t particularly care.” The first year sighed, taking out his phone with a bored expression.

“Do we really have to be animals?” Yahaba asked. “Why don’t we be knights? Get it? Because of _Aoba Castle_?”

“Huh, not bad, Yahaba,” Makki clapped the second year on the back.

“Knights are brilliant!” Oikawa beamed, clapping his own hands animatedly before gasping. “Does that make the actual Grand King, then?” He looked around expectantly. “It does! My, my, this school was just named after me— ack!”

“If you keep letting your head get any bigger than it already is, you’re gonna have a problem,” Iwaizumi scowled as his best friend rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head.

“So that’s settled, then. We’re knights?” You wrote it down in your clipboard. “I’ll tell the coaches when they come back. In the meantime, you lot better get back to practice. Golden Week’s almost over and Inter-High’s right around the corner.”

After a resounding “Yes, Ma’am!” from the entire team, all of you went back to your previous activities, all the while feeling excited at the prospect of someone wearing a knight costume during tournaments.

+++++

**_Extra 1:_ **

“Iwa, I told you! We’ve already decided on a school mascot!” You said, exasperated at the sudden change of heart.

“Seriously, man?” Makki scoffed.

“You want us to be represented by _fish_?” Mattsun joined in.

“I’m serious!” Iwaizumi scowled at the rest of the team. “Trust me on this!”

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa tutted. “And you call _me_ the stupid one?”

  
“Don’t push it, Stupidkawa,” Iwaizumi glared at the setter before looking around at the others and flipping open the encyclopedia he was holding, pointing at a specific picture. “Look! There’s a fish named _oikawa_! It makes perfect sense!”

A collective groan resounded across the entire gym.

+++++

**_Extra 2:_ **

“Osamu, who’s [Y/N]?”

“Huh?” The gray-haired twin’s normally droopy eyes widened at the girl walking beside him. Walking on the girl’s other side, Atsumu’s ears perked up.

“She emailed you again,” the only girl among the trio explained, holding up Osamu’s phone that she had borrowed earlier to call her parents. “She keeps showin’ up in yer notifications. I can’t call my parents at this point, so… who is she?”

Osamu snatched his phone from the girl before pocketing it and looking straight ahead. “No one. And don’t go worryin’ yer head about it.”

“But—“

“Eh?” Atsumu butted in. “Of course, she’s gonna worry about it. She’s our manager, it’s her job, ‘Samu.”

“Don’t be a scrub,” Osamu glared at his blonde haired twin. “Managers don’t need to know ‘bout their team’s personal lives.”

“Ohoho!” the girl’s eyes twinkled. “So she isn’t just ‘no one’, then? She’s part of yer personal life, then?”

“S’not what I said. Quit puttin’ words in my mouth or—“

Atsumu’s obnoxious laugh drowned out Osamu’s words, effectively not giving him room to debunk the assumption. Grumbling, Osamu walked on ahead, leaving the duo behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another cameo??? 😋 HAHAHAA did you guys expect that?? 👀
> 
> (if you guys haven't read the new [inarizaki manager fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25925998) by [espeos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/espeos/pseuds/espeos) yet, her reader-chan was the one walking with the twins in the extra! 😉)
> 
> anyways, thank you sm for reading!!! the next chap is gonna be a special one bc we'll be celebrating 10 chapters of this story! i'm planning something really special for it so i hope you guys won't be disappointed :3 again, thank you all for coming along on this ride with me! here's to 10 chaps and more!! 🥰


	10. One Big Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought the end of the week meant the end of your troubles.  
> Everyone else thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 10 chapters!!!! 🥳🥰✨
> 
> first and foremost, this chap was heavily based on [chapter 8 of haikyuu-bu!!](https://kuromantic.tumblr.com/post/186136965131/haikyuu-bu-chapter-8) so i definitely recommend reading that first if you haven't yet bc most of the humor here was taken from there :D
> 
> second of all, i wrote a short scene for this series. keyword, "short" HAHA so i didn't post it here on ao3. if you're interested, you can read it [here](https://akasuns.tumblr.com/post/628391581436805120/nicknames) c:
> 
> and also, after that little extra from the last chap, it's finally time to tribute essie (espeos) and her inarizaki manager-chan!!! keep an eye out for her bc she's gonna have a full cameo this time 😉
> 
> anyways, here's a little special something for the 10th chap! and by "little", i mean hella-longer-than-any-of-the-previous-chaps-i've-written-so-far 😳 HAHA i hope you guys will stick with me despite the word count!
> 
> on with the chap!! 😋

With the way you were fidgeting nervously in your seat of the bus, you would think it was  _ your _ team who was having a match today.

But, alas, it wasn’t Seijoh who would be out on the court today. No, sir. In fact, it was another team who, come to think of it, didn’t have any special connection whatsoever with your own school.

Wakutani Minami High School. Commonly known as  _ Wakunan _ .

“[Y/N]-chan, stop fidgeting,” Oikawa grabbed your arm and tried to keep you still. “Why are you so nervous? Don’t tell me it’s someone from Wakunan you have a crush on—“

“One more word about my personal life and I swear I’ll knock those stupid glasses of your face—“

“Oi,” Iwaizumi cut in before you could pledge murder on Oikawa. Stepping in between the two of you, the ace reached out a hand to flick his best friend’s forehead before turning to you. “He’ll behave. If he doesn’t, leave it to me.”

Without another word, the vice-captain led the both of you down the coach bus you were riding on the way to the local gymnasium. Stepping on the concrete pavement of the parking lot, you took a long look around to see that there were already hundreds of people crowding around — all of whom came from four more coach buses similar to the one you were on.

_ Wow. Wakunan’s got quite the crowd _ , you thought as you surveyed the scene.

There were people of all ages gathered around the area. Apart from the usual volleyball spectators, there were toddlers running around, middle schoolers talking in groups, a bunch of elderly who were all looking confused, and there was even a shaman in the middle of the crowd. You wondered how come you had never seen such an extravagant cheer squad before in any of the high school tournaments that both you and Wakunan had participated in. Hell, this was only a  _ practice match  _ and their supporters alone had already flooded the entire gymnasium.

Shrugging it off, you waited in line with Iwaizumi and Oikawa to wish a certain someone good luck for the upcoming match.

“Ah, there he is,” Iwaizumi gestured to a familiar face in the front of the crowd.

Clad in his usual pink and white volleyball uniform, you saw the polite face of Wakunan’s captain — Nakashima Takeru. Or as you liked to call him in this situation,  _ the star of the show _ since judging by the banners all around the venue, everyone here — from the toddlers to the shaman — came for  _ him. _

To be completely honest with yourself, you didn’t really know much about who they called the “New Little Giant”. Apart from seeing each other’s teams during tournaments, you didn’t really have any connection with him or his team.

_ So why were you here, then? _

Oh, that’s right. By some weird stroke of fate, you were distantly — keyword,  _ distantly  _ — related to him. (At least, that’s what your mother told you when she forced you to be here and cheer for his team.)

“Excuse me, uh, Takeru?” Iwaizumi offered his hand to the pink-clad captain in greeting. The latter, on the other hand, had his jaw drop open in shock. “I’m sorry we’re late. I was only informed just this morning. Good luck on today’s match.”

Nakashima Takeru’s mouth remained open while he shook Iwaizumi’s hand. Meanwhile, another familiar looking face — Kawatabi Shunki, if you remembered correctly — crept up behind his captain and upon glancing at you, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa, his jaw dropped and immediately mirrored that of his teammate.

“Y-Y-You’re from Aoba Johsai!”

“Indeed, we are,” you spoke up softly in an attempt to ease the shock on the two Wakunan boys’ faces. “Pardon our lateness but we were only informed last-minute.”

“L-Last minute?” Kawatabi turned to his captain with wide eyes. “Takeru! Y-You invited them?”

“No, of course not,” Nakashima shook his head frantically, still trying to work out how three members of one of their rival teams ended up coming to their match. Turning to the three of you, he asked the million dollar question. “Um, hello… Uh, I don’t mean to sound rude but what are you guys doing here?”

“To cheer for you, of course,” you said happily. “Besides, we only have one more practice match scheduled tomorrow for the last day of Golden Week. Today’s our day off.”

“Cheer? B-But we don’t even know each other?” Nakashima looked full on confused now.  _ Why on earth would the three of you cheer for him? _

“If I may,” Iwaizumi offered, “My mom’s younger sister’s husband’s high school classmate’s father’s older brother invited me, so I came to watch.”

“And my mom’s childhood friend’s long lost aunt’s granddaughter’s babysitter told me to come,” you piped up.

_ You’re basically strangers at that point… _ Nakashima shrugged off the thought, still staring at you warily before Kawatabi pointed at Oikawa. “Then what about him?”

Oikawa puffed his chest and flashed a bright smile. “I’m Takeru’s uncle— ack!”

“That’s the wrong Takeru, you idiot!” You rubbed your fist while the brown haired setter rubbed the sore spot on his head. Turning to Nakashima and Kawatabi, you bowed your head in apology. “I’m sorry for that. He’s not really, er,  _ related _ to you — okay, maybe all of us aren’t even really related to you, not by a far stretch — but we were told to come along and watch. I hope that’s okay.”

“Uh, sure,” Nakashima offered a weak smile at you. Honestly, the three of you were from a widely known powerhouse school in Miyagi and not to mention, all of you radiated a powerful aura. How could he even say no? “Do you know which bleachers you’ll be staying in? If you don’t, just look for my mom. I think she made a whole seating plan for today. She’s over there by the—“

“OH NO, YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS.”

Oikawa’s outburst had all of you looking to the direction he was facing. Instantly and in perfect synchronization, all of your jaws dropped open in wonder and shock — but mostly, shock.

Stepping off the last coach bus that arrived at the parking lot and walking towards where the five of you were standing were two very familiar faces, clad in very familiar purple tracksuits, and both sporting very familiar expressions.

“Oikawa, Iwaizumi, [L/N]-san,” the taller of the two nodded at you in greeting before turning to face Nakashima and Kawatabi. “Forgive me but I do not think we’re well acquainted. I am Ushijima Wakatoshi and,” he pointed at the younger boy beside him, “he is Shirabu Kenjiro. Pleased to meet you.”

The Wakunan bunch were the first to recover, closing their jaws before pointing shaky fingers at Ushijima and Shirabu.

“Y-You’re from—“

“—Sh-Shiratorizawa! What a-are you—“

“Well, well, well,” Oikawa interrupted loudly, glaring at Ushijima while sporting an obnoxious expression. “If it isn’t Shiratorizawa! Now, why would you be at a practice match like this? Ha! Too much free time?!”

You couldn’t help but facepalm while Iwaizumi muttered quietly, “You’re one to talk, Oikawa.”

“We’re on break right now.” It was Shirabu who answered. “I came to support Kawatabi-san since we were teammates in junior high. And Ushijima-san was…” he trailed off before turning to face the man himself, “What was it again, Ushijima-san?”

“Apparently, the captain and I are related by my mother’s father’s cousin’s swapped-at-birth older sister’s friend’s sworn ally from a parallel universe, so I came to cheer him on.” It was amazing how  _ the _ Ushiwaka himself said all of those with a straight face.

“Yeah, that,” Shirabu nodded. “We’re not needed back on campus for another few hours so we thought we’d come and watch.”

Nakashima and Kawatabi, on the other hand, looked like they saw a ghost. Shaking his head, Nakashima flipped on his hardworking-second-son switch and smiled at all of you. “Wow, thank you all for coming! We appreciate it, really. If you’d please follow me, I’ll ask my mom where all of you are placed in her seat plan!”

_ Takeru… He’s definitely an incredible guy, easily accepting that weird turn of events like that,  _ Kawatabi thought as he and Nakashima accompanied all five of you — yes,  _ five  _ because for some reason, Ushijima and Shirabu were seated next to the three of you in the seat plan — to your seats and went down to the court.

Meanwhile, on the second level bleachers, you wondered who in their right mind would seat Oikawa and Ushiwaka next to each other.

_ Oh, Takeru’s mom, right… _

__

With Shirabu sitting on the far end of the bleachers nearest to the aisle, Ushiwaka sat next to him, followed by Oikawa, then you, and finally, Iwaizumi. The tension was so thick so you couldn’t help but nudge the spiky haired boy beside you and whisper, “Are they gonna be okay?”

The ace looked at the scene on your other side — with Oikawa silently glaring daggers at Ushijima while the latter stared back impassively — before shrugging his shoulders. “Just leave them.”

“[L/N]-san,” a deep voice said from one seat away from you. “I found your essay from last week’s issue deeply enjoyable. I, too, find good housekeeping extremely important.”

“O-Oh,” you stuttered, cheeks heating up. “Thank you, Ushijima-san! Say, isn’t your manager with you? We never got to finish talking when I came to visit your school…”

“Ah, she’s back at the campus as of the moment. I’ll send her your regards when we get back. And, [L/N]-san, you may call me Wakatoshi.”

“Pfft,” Oikawa butted in. “Stop sliming up to our manager, Ushiwaka-chan.  _ I’m  _ the only one who’s on first name basis with her. Stop trying to—“

“Don’t mind him,” you butted in before things could escalate and clamped a hand on the setter’s mouth. “He’s just being whiny. Anyways, thank you for the compliments, Wakatoshi-san. I always give my writing a hundred percent effort so it means a lot that you enjoy them.”

“I do,” Ushijima nodded. “In fact, I brought today’s issue with me. Would you mind signing it for me?”

“Sure, sure, I’d love to— Wait, what?!”

But before Shiratorizawa’s captain could repeat his request for your autograph, a booming voice interrupted him.

“HEY, HEY, HEY! Is that Ushiwaka? Akaashi, I think I see Ushiwaka! Let’s go say hi!”

All of you turned to see an owlish-looking figure, with two-toned spiky hair and golden eyes, approaching your row while an extremely attractive black-haired boy with gunmetal eyes followed along behind him.

“Ushiwaka, you’re here!”

“Bokuto Koutarou,” Ushijima nodded at the energetic figure before turning to the person beside him. “Akaashi Keiji. It’s a pleasure seeing you here.”

“Hey, you don’t need to be so formal, Ushiwaka,” the guy named Bokuto laughed. “You can call me Bokuto!”

Ushijima merely blinked in response.

“Hello, Ushijima-san, Shirabu-san,” the gentle voice of Akaashi said before turning to face you, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi and bowing. “Pardon our intrusion. Bokuto-san here couldn’t contain his excitement at seeing Ushijima-san. Allow me to introduce ourselves. I’m A—“

“We know who you are,” you gently waved him off with a smile. “Other than Wakatoshi-san mentioning your names earlier, you’re both from Fukurodani Academy, right? Pleased to meet you! I’m [Y/N] and this is Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa Tooru.”

“Likewise,” Akaashi bowed again in politeness. Bokuto, on the other hand, immediately went up to Iwaizumi, who was pouting at the fact that he couldn’t properly watch the warm ups below because of how you were all talking loudly.

“Hey, hey!” Bokuto smiled at Iwaizumi. “Whatcha pouting for?”

Iwaizumi looked at Bokuto for a moment before answering. “It’s too loud.”

The energetic captain howled a boisterous laugh at that before engaging in conversation with your own ace. On the other hand, Oikawa and Ushijima were back with their one-sided staring contest while Shirabu was looking at the court below in concentration.

Turning to the setter from Fukurodani, you tried to make small talk. “So… Are you here for Takeru, too?”

“We are,” Akaashi hummed, his piercing eyes making eye contact with yours.

_ Gosh, this guy’s too pretty for his own good... _

“You came here all the way from Tokyo just to cheer him on?”

It was a good thing the next words out of his mouth were complete utter nonsense. Otherwise, you would have short-circuited then and there with how intense his stare was.

“Apparently, Takeru-san and I are connected by my dad’s nephew’s wife’s college roommate’s father’s younger cousin…”

“Uh huh… Right... So what about him?” You pointed at Bokuto, who had now gotten Iwaizumi to stop pouting and the two were now in the middle of an animated conversation.

“He wanted to see Kuroo-san.”

“Oh! Kuroo, yeah, I know him! Nekoma, right? I bumped into them this week when I was out buying groceries. I even made friends with their manager, she’s such a sweetheart!”

“Really? Small world…” he smiled in amusement. “Yes, their manager’s a great girl. We met up with them before we came here but they have a practice match with some team called Karasuno so they couldn’t come.”

“Ah, Karasuno, you say. That sounds like an interesting match…” you chuckled. Akaashi looked at you in confusion but before he could ask you about it, the entire crowd suddenly cheered, signaling the start of the practice match. Leaning back on your seat, all seven of you settled into a comfortable silence as Wakunan started with their first serve of the day.

+++++

“I’m gonna go buy some snacks,” you said during the second timeout for the first set, as you stood up and tried to maneuver your way out of the row.

“You want me to go with you?” Iwaizumi asked halfheartedly, his eyes glued onto the court below. Meanwhile, the others started up another conversation to pass the time.

_ “Hey, hey, hey! Ushiwaka, I heard you were interviewed along with the other Top Three Aces!” _

_ “That is true, Bokuto.” _

_ “How did it go, Ushijima-san?” Shirabu asked. _

_ Bokuto drowned the second year’s question, however, when he whined. “Why wasn’t I invited?! I’m part of the Top Five!” _

_ “Bokuto-san, please calm down.” _

_ “Oh, I know! I just have to beat you, then! Ha! Ushiwaka, I challenge you!” _

_ “Challenge? What challenge?” Oikawa’s ears perked up. “If anyone’s challenging Ushiwaka-chan, it should be me!” _

You chuckled at the chaos before addressing Iwaizumi, who now had a scowl on his face just by listening in on that conversation. “Nah, it’s fine. I won’t take too long.”

You made your way to the aisle and walked towards the nearest exit. However, a few short minutes just after you disappeared, another set of rowdy people came in, bickering as they made their way to the empty seats in your row.

“Ya scrub! I told ya our seats were this way!”

“Shut it.  _ Yer  _ the scrub! Yer the reason we’re late in the first place!”

Instantly, a pair of golden eyes lit up in recognition. “Myaa-sam! Tsum Tsum!”

Two identical faces turned at Bokuto’s voice, recognition lighting up in their eyes as well. Flashing identical cheeky smiles, Miya Osamu and Miya Atsumu made their way over and waved a hand at the familiar faces they had seen quite a lot in their many appearances at Nationals.

After addressing Bokuto, Akaashi, Ushijima, and Shirabu in greeting, it was Bokuto who took the liberty of introducing the two to Iwaizumi and Oikawa and vice versa.

“They’re from Hyogo Prefecture, Inarizaki High School,” the owlish captain explained before his face suddenly morphed in sudden confusion. “Say, Tsum Tsum, Myaa-sam, how come you both came all the way here?”

“Our uncle’s foster sister’s mother’s cousin’s classmate’s twin sister’s grandfather told us to come,” the twins said at the same time as if it was nothing.

“Our manager came along, too. She’s our childhood friend so she tagged along.” Atsumu piped up.

“She just went down to get some snacks.” Osamu added.

“That’s nice,” Akaashi murmured. “One of our companions went to get snacks, too. The more, the merrier.”

“Darn right, that’s nice,” Atsumu laughed, slapping his twin on the back. “We’re gunna need more food ‘cause ‘Samu here’s gunna hoard all of it.”

“Shut up, ya scrub!”

“Ushijima-san,” Shirabu whispered quietly to his captain. “Didn’t they used to fight all the time during last year’s Nationals, too?”

“Yes, I believe they did, Shirabu.”

Unfortunately, their whispering did nothing, seeing as both Iwaizumi and Oikawa heard what the two purple-clad boys were saying. Instantly, a dark cloud loomed over their head and their expressions became glummer.

“Iwa-chan, are we really the only ones in this row who haven’t been to Nationals?”

“Don’t point it out, Stupidkawa…”

+++++

“Stupid candy bar,” you slammed your fist on the glass of the vending machine, but all was in vain when the wretched snack remained stuck on one of the springs inside. “Stupid vending machine! Move, dammit! You already ate up my money!”

You tried one more time, slamming two fists on the glass. Your eyes lit up when the force shook the candy bar a tiny bit but your scowl was back in place when nothing else happened. You were suddenly glad you weren’t wearing your tracksuit or school uniform because by then, you were cursing up a storm.

“Um, excuse me, miss?”

You turned to see a girl about your age, probably younger, coming up beside you. She gave you a small smile before offering her help. “If I may try,” she pushed up her sleeves, “our school’s vendin’ machines are crap, so ya could say I’ve had some experience with these situations.”

You chuckled, partly due to her words and partly out of embarrassment at being caught cursing madly like a sailor. “By all means, be my guest!”

She took your place in front of the vending machine before slamming her fist twice on the glass. She was waiting for one whole minute, before she slammed her fist again three times. To your immense surprise, the wretched candy bar broke free from the spring and finally fell. Reaching in the vending machine’s compartment, the girl took out your candy bar before handing it out to you while holding up a peace sign.

You looked from the candy bar on her outstretched hand to her face then back to the candy bar. All thoughts of personal space went out the window when you jumped and wrapped your arms around her.

“You’re so amazing!” You squeezed her tightly through your giddiness. “Genius! Queen! Innovator!” You pulled back to get a good look on her. “My name’s [Y/N]. Ooh, you come sit with me for the match! Please! You can tell me how to do what you just did! Oh, please, please!”

She chuckled at your excitement before telling you her name and agreeing to your request. “Lemme just buy a few snacks first, ‘kay?”

It was then that you noticed she carried three big paper bags, two big ones and a small one, with her — ( _ “The two big ones are for me and my friend. The small one’s for his brother,” she explained when you looked at her questioningly.) _ — and after she garnered what was probably a whole trunkful of snacks and put them all inside the bags, the two of you finally went back to the bleachers, making small talk along the way.

When you made your way to your row, the two of you were so caught up in your conversation that you didn’t notice the two additional people seated with your little group. It was only when you were standing next to Shirabu, who was seated right next to the aisle, that you noticed a certain person in your peripheral vision suddenly standing up from his seat. Turning your head, you locked eyes with a pair of gray eyes you’d never thought you’d see in a million years.

Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped open in shock. Standing a few feet away from you, and mirroring your surprised expression, was none other than Miya Osamu.

The same Miya Osamu whose cooking videos you watched religiously every week. The same Miya Osamu whom Kunimi embarrassingly caught you fangirling to. And the same Miya Osamu who replied to your email a few days ago but you haven’t got around to answering back yet.

You know,  _ that _ Miya Osamu.

“M-M-Miya-kun?”

“[Y/N]?”

_ Silence. _ It lasted for a couple of seconds before Iwaizumi broke it.

“[Y/N]? You know this guy?”

“Wait, yer name’s [Y/N]?” The girl from the vending machine gasped when you nodded, the final puzzle pieces clicking in her brain before she, too, looked at Osamu.

Atsumu gasped, as well, before he laughed and clapped his brother on the back. “So  _ she’s _ yer [Y/N]? Oh my god, what a small world!”

“Woah, hold up,” Oikawa interrupted, a misplaced scowl gracing his features. “What do you mean  _ his _ [Y/N]?”

“Myaa-sam,” Bokuto scratched his head in confusion at the sudden turn of events. “Do you know each other?”

Osamu turned to the owlish captain. “We—“

“Yes,” you interrupted a little too quickly. You might have come across as a bit rude but like hell were you going to give Iwaizumi and Oikawa the opportunity to figure out you held an admiration for the gray-haired wing spiker. “I mean, no, we don’t. We just heard of each other, that’s all.”

“Heard of each other,” Akaashi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, I think I understand the situation,” Ushijima suddenly piped up as he turned to face Osamu, too. “Miya, are you a fan of [L/N]-san’s essays, as well?”

“Ushijima-san’s right,” Shirabu offered his unwavering support to his captain. “That must be what they meant.”

“Essays? Whatcha talking about?” Atsumu scoffed.

“Nah,” Osamu rubbed the back of his head before clarifying. “I, uh, I didn’t know she wrote essays or somethin’. I should definitely check ‘em out soon. But, no, um, it’s [Y/N], actually, who’s a fan of— mph!”

If your hand wasn’t too busy covering Osamu’s mouth, you would have gave yourself a pat on the back for your insanely quick reflexes. But, hey, maybe the fact that one of your embarrassing little secrets was in danger of being exposed did that to you.

You quickly uttered out a diversion. “Uh, what he means is that I consider myself a fan of, uh…”

_ Why was your hand pressed down on something soft?  _ “I-I’m particularly— I deeply admire his, um…”

_ Wait a minute. Whose mouth were you covering again?  _ “Um, yeah, I’m a fan of…”

Your eyes trailed back to your hand which you now realize was covering no other than  _ Osamu’s  _ mouth. The guy in question, in fact, was staring at you intently, making no move to remove your hand from him. Your other companions, meanwhile, were staring at the two of you as though both of you were the most amusing form of entertainment they had seen in a while.

_ WHAAA—?! OH MY GOD. I’M TOUCHING MIYA-KUN! _

__

That was the last thing you remember thinking before everything faded to black.

+++++

**_Extra 1:_ **

“So she just… fainted?”

Matsukawa asked as he stared at your dead expression from across the gym. It was already the next day and you were back at Aoba Johsai’s gym, in the middle of warmups for the practice match scheduled.

Don’t get him wrong, you were definitely still getting your job and responsibilities done as their manager. But by  _ dead expression _ , he meant that you were constantly spacing out, staring off at a distance with an expression that looked like it was the end of the world.

“Yup,” Oikawa answered. “Turns out it was that Inarizaki guy she had a crush on…”

“Miya Osamu,” Iwaizumi clarified. “That gray-haired twin. She just froze up at the sight of him…”

The first years and second years — except Kunimi who looked relieved that he didn’t have to keep it a secret any longer — all looked mildly shocked at the news. But frankly, now that the big mystery crush was revealed, they were all ready to move on from it now. Hanamaki, on the other hand, was trying to control his laughter.

“I’m sorry,” Makki said in between stifled laughs. “I’m not laughing at  _ her _ , I swear,” he covered his mouth now in an attempt for situation control. “It’s just that— the situation— with her fainting— oh my god, I can’t.”

He burst out in complete laughter now, and the rest of the team immediately surrounded him to block him and his laugh from your line of sight.

It was too late, however. As you sat down in the benches with the water bottles at your side, you stared at nothing in particular and tried to ignore Makki’s laughter. You didn’t take his amusement to heart, though, but hearing his laugh only reminded you of how you made a fool of yourself in front of Osamu yesterday.

You sighed.  _ This is why nothing good ever comes out of fangirling… _

__

+++++

**_Extra 2:_ **

****

“I’m home!” You kissed your parents on the cheek as you arrived home later after the practice match.

“Welcome home, sweetheart. How was camp?” Your father asked as he and your mom made dinner.

“Good.” You settled with one word. There was absolutely no need to tell them about your rollercoaster of a week.  _ Good _ had to be enough to cover it.

“Great to hear that,” your mother smiled at you from the kitchen counter. “Why don’t you go wash up? Dinner will be ready in a few.”

“Sure, I’ll be right down,” you hummed as you climbed the stairs one at a time. As soon as you reached your room, you immediately flopped down on your bed. Needless to say, you were  _ tired _ . This whole Golden Week was definitely more than you could handle and the last few days were just the icing on the cake.

You put your arm up over your eyes and groaned. Even though the rest of the team had thankfully avoided bringing up your  _ little  _ incident again earlier that day, that didn’t mean  _ you _ could avoid it in your thoughts.

After a few more moments of painful reminiscing and internal cringing, you were jolted up by your phone dinging with a new notification.  _ Probably one of the team checking up on me… _

__

After counting to ten, you decided to check the notification later, opting instead to take a quick shower and help your parents out with dinner. Jumping up, you got off the bed and entered your bathroom, choosing to ignore the way your phone’s screen lit up on your bedside table.

_ [Message Received] _

_ Unknown Number: “We didn’t get to talk much yesterday but I hope you’re feeling better now :) ~Osamu” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there goes our tenth chapter!! :D
> 
> i hope you guys liked it! thank you all for reading and for following along with this story 🥰 this story is very special to me bc not only have i found myself a new passion project, i've also gained a whole bunch of friends in our little manager!au community and gAAHHH i'm sorry for being sentimental lmao like calm down gurl, it's just 10 chaps 😅 but i mean it hehe thank you all so much!! here's to more and more chaps until i run out of writing juice! ;)
> 
> also, i know i really indulged all you osamu shippers out there with all his cameos and all the teasing but that last bit will probably be his last appearance (or mention) for a while. after this chap, i really want to shift the focus back to seijoh as a team again so romance would have to take a backburner for now. but anyways, i hope you guys still liked his little side story :D
> 
> i say this again and again but thank you all so much for the support! see you guys on the next chap! stay safe, healthy, and happy 🥰💖


	11. Center Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought all it took was a little faith, trust, and pixie dust.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, lovely people!!! c:
> 
> this chapter ended up longer than i thought it would 😳 BAHAHA but i hope you guys still enjoy it despite that! anyways, shoutout to **edensgarden** giving me the idea for this chap!! senpai, i'm sorry oikawa isn't a tree here but i hope the alternative is even better 😉 BAHAHA
> 
> also, i wrote another short scene for this story on tumblr! if you want, you can read it [here](https://akasuns.tumblr.com/post/629747944446459904/glasses) :D
> 
> on with the chap!!!

“What is it?”

“It's a large white bird,” Yahaba replied, one eye closed as he looked through a small telescope directed upwards. “Quite ugly, too—” He was cut off by multiple hands reaching out to try and take the telescope from him.

“Give me it!”

“Give it to me!”

“No, me!”

“Me!”

“No!” Yahaba shouted, his voice higher than usual which was why you couldn’t help but flinch from where you were seated on the side. “When Peter's away, I'm in charge!” He tugged the telescope away from the rest of the team’s prying hands, scowling exaggeratedly. “I get to look through the telescope.”

He looked through the telescope again. “It's coming closer.” He paused for a few seconds before—

“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

“Cut!” An adult voice cut in before Yahaba could blow your ears off. The second year immediately stopped, all of you turning towards the voice. “Shigeru-kun, it needs more power! You have to shout like you mean it. Act as if you’re on fire, my dear! And you,” everyone turned to Kunimi, “have some more life, Akira-kun. Go all out!”

You cringed. _Kunimi Akira. Age 15. Least favorite phrase #2, “go all out”._

The first year immediately grimaced before nodding begrudgingly and turning his head the other way. You had to hand it to him, though, he was being exceptionally compliant today. In fact, everyone was being compliant despite the fact that you weren’t in the school volleyball gym and training wasn’t in session.

You and the rest of the team were in the school _auditorium_ and, don’t get it wrong, you were definitely practicing. The only difference is that you were practicing, not for volleyball, but for a _play_.

A school play, in fact. A big production that was going to be held for a charity event sponsored by the school. A stage play so important that everyone — teachers, students, parents — would come and watch.

So why, in the name of everything logical, were the lead roles taken by members of the _volleyball_ team, instead of the drama club?

Oh, that’s right! It all boiled down to one thing…

A mascot.

You had turned to the drama club to help you make a knight costume to serve as a mascot for future volleyball tournaments, especially for the upcoming Inter-High Qualifiers, and they had agreed to offer their assistance under one condition — they wanted the volleyball team to be the cast for the stage play.

_(“You guys are popular,” the leader of the drama club said to you when you asked why. “More people would want to watch it if you guys were the leads!”_

_“But we can’t even act!”_

_“That’s not the point, [Y/N]! You guys are like royalty in this school. No one would care if you guys mess up!”)_

You sighed at the memory. Honestly, was a mascot even worth all this effort?

“Okay,” the drama teacher clapped his hands just as he finished hyping up Kunimi to _go all out_. “Let’s go over the roles once again, okay?”

He took out his clipboard, tapping his pencil against it as he called out names. “Right, the _Lost Boys_ first… _Slightly_ will be played by…”

“Me, sensei,” Yahaba raised his hand.

“Excellent! Now, _Curly_ will be played by Yuutarou-kun…”

“Hai!” Kindaichi squeaked.

“The _Twins_?” Sensei looked up just as Kunimi and Watari stepped forward and raised their hands.

“ _Tootles_?”

“Here…” Mattsun placed his hands behind his head, stepping forward.

“And let’s see… _Nibs_ will be played by…”

“Me,” Iwaizumi raised his hand, sighing.

“Okay, good!” The teacher flipped over a page from his clipboard, the eraser tip of his pencil pressed against his chin in concentration. “Now, for the main stars… _Wendy Darling_ will be played by…” You raised your hand sheepishly from your seat, heat creeping up on your cheeks and the tips of your ears. “...Ah, the lovely [Y/N]-chan. Good, good! And our protagonist, _Peter Pan_ will be…”

“Me, sir,” Makki raised his hand.

“That’s right, you’ve got the hair for it, Takahiro-kun. And, finally, our last character is…”

“Ahem,” Oikawa puffed out his chest, smirking and looking all too pleased with himself. “ _Tinker Bell,_ at your service, sir!”

“That’s the spirit, Tooru-kun! Okay, everybody, back to your places now! Let’s pick up where we left off…” Sensei waited while the rest of you scrambled to get back in position before clapping his hands. “And… Action!”

Yahaba looked through his telescope. “It's coming closer.” He paused again for a few seconds before—

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! My God, I've gone blind! I'm blind!”

Watari, Kindaichi, Matsukawa, and Iwaizumi pointed at him, laughing. Even Kunimi joined in, though he skipped the laughing part and settled on pointing his finger at Yahaba.

“I've gone blind! I'm blind!”

“During this part,” the teacher called out,” the lighting crew will direct the spotlight to centerstage and up the stage will come…”  
  
  


“Me!” Oikawa jumped on the stage, hands in his hips as he giggled obnoxiously and did a little shimmy. He pranced around the _Lost Boys_ before settling back at the center of the stage, beaming the entire time.

“Hello, Tink,” Iwaizumi said to him. “Where's Peter?”

“Hello, Tink!” Kunimi and Watari said in unison.

“She's blinded me!”

“Hello, Tink!” Kindaichi waved awkwardly.

“Hello, Tink!” Matsukawa smiled lazily. “Any more news of Cinderella?”

“And for now, I’ll be the narrator,” the drama teacher cleared his throat. “ _Now, Tinker Bell was not all bad. Sometimes she was all good. But fairies are so small they only have room for one feeling at a time._ ”

“I’m not small…” Oikawa grumbled in a low voice before leaning over to fake a whisper in Matsukawa’s ear.

Mattsun, on the other hand, feigned interest in what the captain — er, _fairy_ — was supposedly whispering. “Tink says the bird's called a _Wendy_ … And Peter wants us to…”

Oikawa stepped back a bit further to do a little demonstration. He stretched out his left hand and drew out his right hand to feign a bow and arrow. He then ran to the other side of the stage just in time to feign getting hit by the arrow he just pretended to shoot.

“...shoot it down.”

All the _Lost Boys_ and Oikawa were quiet for a moment, before Yahaba broke the silence. “Well, we have our orders.” He raised his hand up in the air. “Shoot the Wendy bird.” 

“Aye, aye!”

Matsukawa, Iwaizumi, Kindaichi, Yahaba, Kunimi and Watari all formed a straight line before following Oikawa’s movements earlier and shot an imaginary arrow up towards the roof.

“Ready? Aim!”

“Fire!”

The sensei then called out to you to get ready. 

“Three, two, one!”

You ran up onto the stage and immediately plopped down to the ground. You tried not to let your embarrassment show too much as the _Lost Boys_ gathered around your laid figure and circled you.

“I got it. I got it!” Matsukawa pumped a fist in the air, crying out happily.

You had to hand it to these guys. _They could probably give the Oscars a run for their money..._

You stayed perfectly still, eyes closed, as you heard the boys all doing war cries and exaggerated gestures for a few minutes. After a moment, they quieted down and you vaguely registered them approaching you.

“That is no bird...” You heard Yahaba say to your right.

“It is a lady…” Was that Kindaichi to your left?

“And Tootles…” Kunimi and Watari started in unison as they, along with the rest of the boys, turned to glare at Matsukawa.

“...Tootles has killed her!” Everyone else finished in perfect synchronization.

There were a few moments of awkward silence, the only sounds heard were the tapping of the drama teacher’s pencil against his clipboard. Opening one eye, you peeked to see that everyone was looking at each other in confusion, wondering who had the next line.

“Psst, Makki!” Oikawa whisper-shouted to the sleeping figure of his fellow third year, who was slumped in his seat, snoring too comfortably for someone who had the lead role. “Makki, wake up!”

“Takahiro-kun,” the drama teacher sighed just as Hanamaki startled awake, eyes blinking fast to make sense of his surroundings. “Your line?”

“Ha? Oh, right! Erm…” The third year then stood up and lept to the stage, schooling his features into one of a mischievous pre-adolescent boy off for an adventure, instead of a high school student who just woke up from a nap. “Ha!” — _Matsukawa, Iwaizumi, Kindaichi, Yahaba, Kunimi and Watari all faked collective gasps of surprise._ — “I'm back, boys! Great news. I know what happened to Cinderella.” He took out his fake knife and brandished it around in the air. “She defeated the pirates. There was stabbing, slicing, torturing, bleeding, and they lived happily ever after.” He smirked at the others, putting away his knife.

“Well, that's a relief, I must say,” Yahaba laughed nervously while the others all murmured in agreement.

“Greater news!” Makki continued, prancing around the stage, looking very much in his element. "I have brought you she that told of Cinderella. She is to tell us stories!” His voice came closer to you now. “She is…” He trailed off, mouth hanging open upon seeing your unmoving figure.

“Dead,” Iwaizumi finished the sentence for him mournfully.

You heard Makki crouch down beside you, as did the rest of the boys. “Whose arrow?”

It was quiet for a moment, save for some soft breathing. Hanamaki looked around and glared at the boys before his eyes landed on the one person he’d never thought would betray him like this…

His best friend.

“Mine, Peter,” Matsukawa sighed, moving forward and tugging the collar of his shirt down by a few inches before closing his eyes and scrunching up his face in an almost believable expression of fear. “Strike, Peter.” He knelt down and raised his voice a bit. “Go on and strike me, Peter! Strike true!”

The atmosphere in the entire room changed in an instant. Makki raised his knife and pointed it at his best friend while everyone watched with bated breaths — even Oikawa could be heard whining in the background. The wing spiker’s hand was shaking at the prospect of striking his best friend but he had to. If there was one thing he never stood for, it was _betrayal_. But just as he drew back his knife to strike, you stirred from your spot on the floor.

You groaned very exaggeratedly and moved your head a bit, eyes still shut, as if you were half-awake from sleeping. Everyone gasped in delight (except for Oikawa who screeched).

“The _Wendy bird_ lives!” Kindaichi declared happily.

The boys shuffled around before Makki reached out to examine something hanging from your neck. “It's my kiss,” he exclaimed in wonder, holding on to the fake acorn-shaped necklace you were wearing as a prop. “My kiss saved her!”

“I remember kisses! Let me see it,” Yahaba murmured knowingly, leaning closer to get a better look. “Aye, that _is_ a kiss. A powerful thing…”

“Let us carry her down to the house,” Iwaizumi spoke up. “Hands?”

There was a bit of shuffling around as the boys held out their hands to examine them.

“They're a bit dirty…”

“Then she must stay here and die…”

“NO!” Makki growled.

“Oh, how could I have thought that? Stupid. Sorry!”

A light bulb suddenly flashed on Hanamaki’s head as he motioned for the boys to lean closer. “We shall build a house around her!”

There were stars in the boys’ eyes as they nodded eagerly, shouting a chorus of “Yeah!” and “Genius!” They then scrambled out of the stage, leaving behind only you who remained lying on the floor, and Kunimi and Watari who both leaned on either side of Hanamaki, and whispered in both his ears. “Tink did it.” And with that, they scrambled out of the scene, as well.

Makki’s eyes widened, waiting a few seconds before he stood up and looked around the scene. “Tinker Bell?” He looked around, purposely avoiding looking at Oikawa who did a terrible job at _hiding_. “Oh, Tinker Bell?”

The captain then jumped from his spot and zoomed to Hanamaki’s side, flapping his arms around to feign fairy wings. “Yes, Peter? What do you—”

“Cut!” The drama teacher interrupted before turning to the brown haired setter. “Tinker Bell doesn’t talk, Tooru-kun!”

“But, how can I be the star of the show if I don’t talk?”

“Uh, last time I checked, the title is _Peter Pan_ ,” Makki laughed. “Tinker Bell is just a sidekick—”

Oikawa gasped. “How _dare_ you call me a sidekick?! I’ve got the most important role of all! Without me, where will you get the pixie dust, huh?!”

“Oi!” A deep familiar voice called out from backstage. “Stop the tantrum!”  
  
  


“But, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa called back to the voice, whining.

“Tooru-kun,” the drama teacher pleaded to which the setter sighed, nodding. “Just stick to the script, alright? Okay, let’s pick up to when Tinker Bell approached Peter. And… Action!”

“Was it you, Tink?”

Oikawa first started with an angelic expression, putting his hands together in a prayer position and smiling innocently at Makki before he morphed his features into a more sinister expression, grinning devilishly and cackling in laughter.

“Then I am your friend no more!” Makki pushed Oikawa to the ground, the latter pouting before standing up, stomping his foot, and scurried out of the stage, flapping his arms in a flying motion. Makki then approached your unmoving figure once again and crouched down to sit on the floor beside you.

“And… Cut!” The drama teacher stood up, clapping his hands in a standing ovation. “Perfect! Beautiful! Absolutely splendid!” He wiped a tear from his eye before looking at all of you, now all standing in line on the stage, dreamily. “You guys are even better than my drama club, you’re all naturals!”

“Please, sir,” Oikawa waved his hand smugly. “We’re not all that!”

“Oh, but you are! Own it, my dears,” he said, picking up his clipboard and flipping a few pages. “Okay, let’s take five, everyone. After the break, we’re gonna practice the ending scene on Captain Hook’s ship so you two…” He pointed at you and Hanamaki.

“Yes, sir?” You asked, both curious and nervous at what he was going to make you do _this_ time.

“[Y/N]-chan, Takahiro-kun, you two better be ready for the kissing scene, okay?”

_Silence._

The rest of the people in the room scrambled to get snacks just as the drama teacher called out, “Alright, everyone, break!” Your volleyball team, however, stayed behind, mouths open in quiet disbelief.

“K-K-Kiss scene?” Kindaichi broke the silence first, stuttering.

“H-Hanamaki-san and [Y/N]-senpai?” Watari uttered in shock.

“They… They actually have to go through with that?” Yahaba murmured while Kunimi looked disgusted at the thought.

“Oh, no… Just no,” Oikawa crossed his arms.

“Absolutely not,” Matsukawa followed suit.  
“Never in a million years,” Iwaizumi grumbled, glaring at nothing in particular.

_Just what the hell did we sign up for?_

While your fellow third years voiced out their disagreement with the first years and second years nodding along to what they said, you and Makki turned to look at each other. You’ve known each other for a good three years now but this was new. This wasn’t a question of friendship or familiarity. This was different...

Both of you made eye contact, silently communicating with your eyes before nodding to each other, coming up with a wordless agreement.

_For the knight costume… For your beloved volleyball club… For Narnia, and for Aslan!_

+++++

**_Extra 1:_ **

The night was still young — there were bright lights all around, excited murmurs along the huge auditorium, and countless faces among the crowd. It was the night of the stage play performance, and each and every audience member’s eyes were trained towards the captivating scene on the auditorium stage.

“Silence, all,” the drama club member who was acting as Captain Hook shouted, “for Wendy's farewell.”

A hushed silence spread among the spectators and you were only vaguely aware of their eyes on you. You knelt down on the floor, leaning over Hanamaki as he laid on the floor seemingly unmoving. The stage was set up to look like Captain Hook’s ship and the only thought running through your mind was how scarily in character you were.

“Peter,” you breathed out. “I'm sorry. I must grow up. But... this is yours…” You reached out a hand to him before _Captain Hook_ grabbed your wrist roughly.

“It’s just a thimble…” You assured him.

“Ha! How like a girl!” He barked out a mean laugh as the rest of his _crew_ guffawed along with him. “By all means, my beauty… Give Peter Pan your precious thimble.”

As soon as he let go of you, you gently bent low to whisper (was it even called ‘whispering’ if you were trying to be loud enough for the audience to hear?) in Makki’s ear. “Peter… This belongs to you… and always will.”

You leaned back up a bit, ignoring the frantic pounding of your heart and the intense gaze Makki held for you, before leaning back down to inch your lips closer to his.

_Closer…_

_And closer…_

_And closer…_

_BANG!_

Just as your lips were merely a fraction of an inch away from Hanamaki’s, a loud bang resonated across the auditorium and your drama teacher suddenly started shouting.

“TOORU-KUN! HAJIME-KUN! ISSEI-KUN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

All heads turned towards the trio, who had somehow managed to stick together during the entire scene (weren’t they supposed to be held captive by the other pirates?) and had _accidentally_ pushed over the ship’s fake sail. The sail and its pole toppled over on the stage but thankfully, no one got hurt.

Suddenly, the play — and the much awaited _thimble_ — was long forgotten as the audience and the rest of the cast was much more entertained by the fact that the drama teacher was now shouting hysterically at Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Matsukawa.

Iwaizumi shrugged while Oikawa smiled, showing off his pearly whites. “Sorry, sensei!”

“Must have leaned on it by accident,” Matsukawa shrugged, lazy smirk plastered on his face.

+++++

**_Extra 2:_ **

“Guys?”

Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Mattsun and Makki stared at you expectantly. Your one-night-only gig as actors was long finished and the more pressing concern now was the upcoming Inter-High.

_Which was tomorrow, by the way._

“We’re gonna win tomorrow, right?” You asked out loud, looking down as you fiddled with the knight costume in your hands — a gift from the drama club after all your _help_ for the Peter Pan production.

The four of them looked at each other for a moment, before looking back at you with confident expressions.

“Why are you even asking?”  
“Of course we’re gonna smash ‘em tomorrow!”

“And the day after that!”

“All the way until the finals!”

You looked up and instead of seeing nervous faces like you expected, you were met instead with four relaxed faces. Well, they definitely earned that with how much they’ve been practicing for the past few weeks. And honestly, with the way you were being fidgety, one would think _you_ would be out on the court instead of at the sidelines.

You sighed in content. “Good…” Feeling more and more at ease yourself, you smiled brightly at the four boys — the boys who will _definitely_ make you proud tomorrow. “I believe in you guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading through to the end of this chap!!! :D
> 
> i actually had to rewatch the **2003 Peter Pan film** to get the dialogue kinda accurate here HAHAHA and i know we're very familiar with peter, tinker bell and wendy so here's a rundown of the _lost boys_ in case you wanted some more info (and maybe you wanted a look into how i assigned the roles) 😋  
> 1\. Tootles — Mattsun (described as the most unfortunate and humblest of the band)  
> 2\. Nibs — Iwaizumi (described as happy and debonair, possibly the bravest Lost Boy)  
> 3\. Slightly — Yahaba (described as the most conceited of the boys often takes the lead)  
> 4\. Curly — Kindaichi (has curly hair but let's just ignore that HAHA, he isn't very smart but is very loveable, is also a little timid but has a kind heart)  
> 5\. The Twins — Kunimi and Watari (not much is known, apparently)
> 
> anyways, all so much for the support and see you all in the next update!! stay safe and healthy always 🥰🥰🥰


	12. The Shoes Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought tournaments meant that you had to be on your best behavior.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought otherwise.
> 
> Or—
> 
> You thought it was better to be prepared.  
> Matsukawa thought otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! it's been a hot minute! :'D
> 
> we've finally reached the inter-high!! i'm so excited to write the next series of events in the tournament but i'm also more excited to finish with it so we can finally let our mad dog kyotani enter the picture! but yeah, before that, we have a bunch of stuff to cover first so i hope you guys enjoy the ride :)
> 
> this chapter was inspired by kuroko no basuke s03e04! and also, i wrote another short scene for this story on tumblr which you can read [here](https://akasuns.tumblr.com/post/630048542565744640/for-the-next-chapter-you-definitely-have-to)! and lastly, a special shoutout to **fluffy** for making these hilarious [memes](https://sugar-luxk.tumblr.com/post/630222134102409216/aaaaaaa-finally-finished-this-damn-this-one) for this story!! <3
> 
> now on with the chap!!!

The wide eyes and alarmed voices of the players, coaches, organizers, and volleyball enthusiasts were apparent and flooded the entire waiting area of the Sendai City Gymnasium, but none of them held a candle to the attention-grabbing ruckus happening right in front of their eyes.

“LET ME GO! LET ME AT HIM! LEMME AT HIM!”

“No, [Y/N],” Iwaizumi said as he and Oikawa held you back by your torso. “You’ll kill him if we let go of you—”  
  
  


“YOU BET I WILL! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! I’LL KILL HIM!”

You were absolutely deranged, your entire body going feral as Iwaizumi and Oikawa tried to hold you in place. You were screaming a bunch of incoherent words, garnering the attention of passersby — but you paid them no mind, especially when your fury-filled eyes were trained on an all too familiar face.

Matsukawa Issei. Third year. Middle blocker.

You became even more unhinged than you already were, your shouts growing alarmingly louder, when you saw that Makki gave a comforting pat on his best friend’s shoulder as a sign of support.

_Idiot! I trusted you!_

“Calm down, [Y/N]-chan,” Oikawa said as he and Iwaizumi struggled to maintain their hold on you as you continued thrashing around in anger. _Were you always this strong?_ “I really don’t wanna call the coaches and drag them into this—”

“THEN CALL THEM! CALL THEM RIGHT NOW AND TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED! BE MY GUEST!”

The whispers from the spectators around you suddenly increased.

_“Isn’t that Aoba Johsai?”_

_“Is that their manager?!”_

_“What’s wrong with her? Why’s she acting like that?”_

_“Did she just say she’s gonna kill someone?”_

_“Should we call the police?”_

_“Wah! Oikawa-senpai, good luck with your game!”_

Oikawa grimaced before turning around to face your newfound audience and plastering on a charming smile. “Don’t worry, everyone! We’ve got everything under control here.”

“But your manager—”

“Please,” the captain still smiled but only those who knew him well could see that there was something different about _this_ smile, something authoritative, something _commanding._ “This is a team matter. Please carry on with your days, thank you very much!”

By the time the crowd begrudgingly dispersed, you had already quieted down — to be completely honest, you were kind of embarrassed by your outburst especially since Oikawa, of all people, had to do some damage control — but your eyes, wide and murderous, were still trained on Matsukawa’s apologetic expression.

_How did this happen?_

It was supposed to be the first day of the Inter-High preliminaries and like every other tournament you and your boys had participated in, you were supposed to be getting ready — as in, checking up on the players, their snacks, water bottles, volleyballs, and all the other typical manager duties you had memorized by heart.

So instead of doing those, why were you pledging murder on one of your star players?

Well, it all boiled down to one teensy tiny thing…

_Shoes._

Yup, that’s right. The one thing causing you so much distress on the first day of the Inter-High preliminaries were a pair of stupid volleyball shoes — Mattsun’s volleyball shoes, to be exact.

_(“YOU WHAT?!”_

_You had screeched, eyes twitching, as you stared wide-eyed at Matsukawa’s trembling form. The rest of the team had crowded around you, all looking equally concerned._

_“My shoes are ripped,” Mattsun had mumbled quietly, eyes trained on the ground in shame._

_“Come again?” Makki had asked, leaning closer in confusion._

_“My shoes are ripped, okay?!” Mattsun had grumbled much louder, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around at the unimpressed faces of his teammates before his eyes landed on your livid expression._

_“You mean to tell me…” You had taken a step toward the middle blocker._

_“...that you ripped your shoes yesterday during practice…” Another step._

_“...and didn’t bother to have it fixed or replaced…” And another step._

_“...despite knowing that you were gonna be using it at today’s tournament?”_

_You were up in Mattsun’s face by then, giving him the most murderous expression you could muster while he mentally shivered in a rare moment of fear. Immediately, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had both sensed danger and grabbed you as you started shouting uncontrollably._

_“YOU IDIOT! LET ME GO, LET ME AT HIM!”)_

You sighed, your anger evaporating and slowly morphing into one of exhaustion.

“I’m so sorry, [Y/N],” Matsukawa bowed, genuine in his apology. “I was so exhausted yesterday after practice… It slipped my mind.”

“That’s not the point, Mattsun,” you whispered, feeling absolutely drained. “Didn’t you promise me yesterday that you’re gonna win today? How are you gonna do that without shoes? Can’t I even trust you to do things as simple as this?”

You looked around at all of them and said your next few words a tad bit slower. “I’ll always be here to support you guys but there’s only so much I can do.” You sighed and your next words were no more than a whisper. “I’m really disappointed right now…”

At your words, the air surrounding the team instantly changed.

The boys weren’t strangers to your more-than-occasional shouting tirades, especially when you were particularly mad at them for their stupid antics. But this was different… You weren’t screaming at them anymore. You were quiet. You were _disappointed._

“Well?” You stared around at the rest of the team, demanding something, _anything_. When you were met with nothing but silence and averted eyes, you sighed for what was probably the thousandth time from that morning alone. You checked your watch before turning back to them and motioning for them to huddle around you. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do…”

It was simple enough to explain. The game plan. The problem was pulling it off.

You’ve never been more thankful that Seijoh was a resident seeded team during local tournaments. Sitting out for even just one match made all the difference and gave you and Matsukawa enough time to run to the shoe store, try on a couple of fits, and buy a brand new pair.

You left behind Iwaizumi to be in charge of things while you’re out — _“You’re such a bully, [Y/N]-chan! Why’re you leaving Iwa-chan in charge, hmph? I’m the captain of this team!”_ — and left him your clipboard filled with clearly written notes on everything that needed to be done, with very specific instructions to ring your phone if there was something he didn’t understand. 

God knows what would happen if these volleyball idiots tried to draw their own interpretations of your instructions. Your clipboard was basically _How to Be A Manager for Dummies_ at this point.

You left your first aid kit to Yahaba — y’know, just in case these idiots injured themselves while simply _watching_ the first matches — and gave him directions on preparing the powder mix for the sports drinks. You then instructed Hanamaki to give the team’s new knight mascot costume to the captain of the cheering section, before you headed out with Mattsun in tow.

If you played your cards right, nothing would go wrong _this_ time. If things went your way, for once, you’d still make it back with time to spare.

(But things almost _never_ went your way, unfortunately.)

“I beg your pardon?”

You stared wide-eyed at the lady manning the shoe store you went to. For a minute there, it seemed like she just told you they didn’t have the size you were looking for. But _surely_ , you heard wrong. _Surely_ , at least one of the shoe stores in this damned area offered a 29.5cm shoe size.

“We’re sorry, ma’am,” she grimaced at you. “We don’t have the size you’re looking for—”

“But you’re the sixth store we visited?!”

“We’re really sorry, ma’am, but 29.5cm is… large. I’m afraid none of the stores here have that. You’d have to have it custom made…”

_Custom made…_

You don’t remember thanking the lady for her hospitality. You don’t even remember walking out of the store with an apologetic Mattsun holding the door open for you. All you remembered was that by the time the words ‘custom made’ flashed through your mind for the umpteenth time, the middle blocker was snapping his fingers in front of your face as the two of you stood on the sidewalk.

“[Y/N],” he said gently, waving a hand in front of your eyes. “Stay with me, now. Stay with me…”

“Custom made?” You mused once you finally got to your senses. “Was yours custom made?”

“Dunno,” he rubbed the back of his neck, fidgeting a bit. “It was a gift.”

“And you never thought to keep an extra pair?”  
  
  


“I’m sorry! It never crossed my mind since I’m only playing until high school…”

You sighed, your manager brain quickly thinking of another solution. “Okay, let’s go find a local thrift store real quick. We’re bound to find large second hand shoes there, right?” And without another word, you grabbed the middle blocker’s wrist and dragged him to a random direction, all the while wondering just what the Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team was doing right at that moment.

_(“Look carefully, boys,” Coach Irihata said as the team settled down on some of the seats in the second level bleachers. “That freak quick of those Karasuno first years are definitely lethal. Observe how they’ll use that in their first match.”_

_After a chorus of “Yes, sir!” from the team, Coach Mizoguchi quickly did a headcount. Apart from you and Mattsun, there was still one missing member. “Oh… Where’s Oikawa?”_

_Instantly, the boys averted their eyes, some whistling annoying tunes, some coughing a bit. At the seat closest to the two coaches, Yahaba sheepishly rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Yahaba, spit it out.”_

_“Yes, s-sir,” the poor second year stuttered. “Uh, y-y-you see, he was… swept away by fangirls f-from other schools.”_

_“...”_

_It was quiet for a moment, before Coach Irihata uttered a single word that could easily solve the problem. “Iwaizumi.”_

_The vice captain sighed, an irritated expression gracing his features. “Yes, sir,” he said, standing up to look for his best friend.)_

“How are they holding up back at the gym?” Mattsun asked, following your lead as you set off in the direction a local pedestrian pointed you to when you asked her where the thrift store was.

“Good, I hope,” you answered, ignoring all the worst case scenarios flashing through your mind because _surely_ , Iwaizumi had them all under control and plus, the coaches were there, too. “They haven’t contacted me or anything yet.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. Didn’t you leave Iwaizumi in charge? He’s more than capable of keeping things in order.”

“Right...” you muttered, not believing a word he said. “Because we all know Iwa to be the most rational when it comes to peace and order…”

“What do you mean?” Matsukawa cocked his head to the side, staring at you as you finally arrived at the thrift store and led him inside, immediately going to scour through the shoes section.

“Let’s just say, Iwa is the most… aggressive… when it comes to disciplining the team.”

_(“Oikawa-san, can we take a photo with you?”_

_“A photo?” Oikawa put on a dazzling smile before flashing a peace sign to the group of giggling school girls surrounding him. “Why, of course you can—”_

_SMACK!_

_“AHHHHH! OIKAWA-SAN, ARE YOU OKAY?!” The girls screamed in horror as a volleyball smacked into the back of the setter’s head before ricocheting back to the outstretched hand of Iwaizumi who was standing a few steps behind._

_“Ow, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa rubbed the back of his head furiously. “Not even the coaches hit me— oh...” He stopped mid sentence once he turned around and saw the murderous expression on the vice captain’s face._

_And for once, Iwaizumi was being just as extra as the captain, making a show of blowing off imaginary steam from the volleyball in his hands. Oikawa understandably shivered before turning back to the girls with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, ladies. Let’s take photos next time, okay?”)_

“Hm,” Mattsun hummed, moving to help you rummage through a pile of mismatched shoes. “You have a point. Why’d you leave him in charge then? What about Oikawa?”

“What’re you talking about? He’s already the captain, why do I need to assign him to take the lead?”

“Oh, right, so why was he whining earlier about not being left in charge?”

You laughed evilly while holding up a pair of worn-in shoes that looked to be big enough for Matsukawa. “It’s fun to mess with him, sometimes. Besides, though he’s responsible enough as captain, he does tend to act a bit… childish… sometimes.”

_(“It’s the Great King!” Hinata shouted from the court below as he looked up at Seijoh’s spot on the bleachers._

_“Yahoo! Tobio-chan, Chibi-chan!” Oikawa flashed a peace sign, effectively covering Iwaizumi’s entire face. “How’s the first year freak quick duo doing?”_

_SMACK!_

_“Ow! That hurts, Iwa-chan…”)_

“That’s kinda true,” Mattsun chuckled as he inspected the shoes you held out to him.

“This is probably the closest we can find. But dammit, it’s only 28cm… Um, excuse me, ma’am!” You called out to the lady manning the thrift store. “By any chance, do you have shoes like these in the next size up?”

“Oh, sorry, dear,” the lady bowed at you in apology. “All our stocks are on display. What you see here is all we have for sale…”

“Are you sure?” You asked as politely as you could but you were getting desperate. “No new arrivals or anything at all? Please, ma’am, it’s kind of an emergency.”

“I’m sure, dear. The next arrivals come next week. I’m really sorry…”

You hung your head in shame as soon as the lady walked away. After running around, checking every store, looking at thrift stores, you were left with nothing… Mattsun couldn’t play. Seijoh would be missing a middle blocker. And you would’ve failed as a manager.

Sure, your team had a reservoir of players waiting in line to be subbed in but Mattsun was a _third year_. This was his last year…

_And here I thought I could find a way… I couldn’t even help my player look for shoes and I couldn’t even be there for my team during the first matches. What kind of manager am I?_

“[Y/N], hey,” Matsukawa gripped your arm comfortingly. _Shouldn’t I be the one comforting him?_ “Don’t worry, there’s still tomorrow’s game.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Well, yeah… You didn’t think we’d be eliminated right away, did you? Of course, we’d still be playing tomorrow and I promise you I’ll look for some shoes tonight.”

“But… But our first game is in a few—”

“ _Don’t worry_ ,” he repeated, squeezing your arm. “It’s my fault anyways for not checking my shoes beforehand last night. Maybe the universe is just punishing me for a short while…”

“But Mattsun, this is your last year… _Our_ last year… I wanted you to keep playing as much games as you could and—”

_“[L/N]-san. Matsukawa.”_

That deep voice was familiar… Could it be…

“Ushi— I mean, Wakatoshi-san, what are you doing here?”

Indeed, it was unreal to see the ever stoic figure of Ushijima Wakatoshi in a thrift store but what was even more unreal was the fact that he was there, in the first place, when the next matches — the _first_ matches for both your teams, mind you — would be starting soon.

“My track pants have banana stains on them and our manager was busy so I took it upon myself to come to this thriftstore. I just purchased an extra clean pair to wear for today’s tournament.”

“Banana stains?” Mattsun gaped at him.

“Yes, though I do not know how it happened,” he blinked. “How about yourselves? What are the two of you doing here?”

Immediately, your mood crumbled at the reminder. You took a deep breath, pointing a finger at your middle blocker. “He ripped his shoes and didn’t have an extra pair. We were trying to look for some but no store has his size…”

Ushijima blinked.

“May I ask what shoe size you need?”

“A good 29.5cm, unfortunately…”

Ushijima blinked once, twice, a third time.

“Ah,” the captain hummed before reaching inside his bag and pulling out a clean looking box and handing it to you. “You may borrow my extra ones, if you want…”

You gaped at him and so did Matsukawa. “Are you joking?”

The captain scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Joking? I’m afraid I do not understand…”

“No, no wait,” you shook your head trying to find some clarity. “Are you sure? We’ll return it and repay you in some kind, of course,” — _“You do not need to.”_ — “but are you absolutely sure?”

“Of course,” he stared at you with an intense expression. “You talked about how _sharing is caring_ in your latest essay, [L/N]-san. I am simply trying to embody your selflessness.”

_Selflessness? God, this guy’s too much!_ “I’m not— I, uh… Thank you so much for this, Wakatoshi-san. You have no idea just what this means to us.”

Heat crept up your cheeks as you accepted the box from Ushijima, and ushered him out with a gaping Mattsun in tow, so the three of you could go back to Sendai Gymnasium together.

+++++

**_Extra 1:_ **

“WHAT?!”

“Calm down, you idiot!” You glared at an equally fuming Oikawa just before Seijoh was due to do their warmups. You were back at Sendai Gymnasium, out on the court, and the team huddled around you. “We didn’t have a choice… and he offered so nicely!”

“Loyalty, [Y/N]-chan! Loyalty! Do you even know what that means or—”

“Oi!” Iwaizumi pinched his best friend’s ear in annoyance. “Drop the tantrum right now!”

“She’s right, Oikawa,” Matsukawa came to your defense as he looked down at his spanking new, albeit _borrowed_ , volleyball shoes. “He just came out of nowhere and offered an instant solution. It was nothing short of a miracle.”

“So _that’s_ why they call him Miracle Boy…” Kindaichi mused out loud.

“Hmph, not on my watch.” Oikawa quickly strode over to Mattsun.

“Shittykawa, what are you doing?!”

“Trying to break those shoes in,” the setter let out an evil laugh as he lifted one foot of the ground, hovered it over the _damned_ shoes, before slowly bringing it down in an attempt to stomp on them. “It’s a tradition to stomp on new shoes and make them dirty and— IWA-CHAN!”

Before you or the rest of the team knew it, Iwaizumi had tackled Oikawa to the floor. The two best friends were rolling around on the shiny gym floor, shouting at each other and trying to one-up the other, like usual. _Truly, what better way to start the Inter-High, right?_

+++++

**_Extra 2:_ **

“So how was your emergency errand?” Hanamaki approached you during the warmups, stretching his arms.

You pondered on your answer for a moment before settling on, “Exhausting.”

Makki chuckled before switching his stretches. “Well, you’ve always been a superwoman to us so it’s no surprise that you got the job done… even if you say it was exhausting.”

“Oh, but it was,” you said firmly, gripping your clipboard tightly as you remembered all the stress you felt earlier. “My mind was all over the place — like half my mind was running around the area looking for some shoes and the other half was back here, worrying about you guys.”

“But we managed just fine. Iwaizumi was—”

“Oh, I know, I know. But I would’ve felt much better if someone else was in charge here… someone who wasn’t a player, you know.”

“If only you could clone yourself, right, [Y/N]?” Makki laughed before the coach called out for the team to huddle. “Gotta go, wish us luck!”

You stared at the wing spiker’s retreating form, your mind repeating what he last said to you. _Clone yourself? Hm, so there would be two of you… Two…_

  
You smiled. Maybe Makki was on to something… Because realistically, you couldn’t ever hope to duplicate yourself. But there was a way to have two of you... To have two _managers_ , hm…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so much for reading (and for bearing with my sporadic updates)!!!
> 
> see you guys on the next chapter, whenever that may be bc uni is keeping me super busy at the moment, and i hope you all are staying healthy and happy!! 😘💖


	13. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought first impressions weren’t always accurate.  
> Yahaba thought so, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my word counts have been getting progressively bigger with each chap and i hope you guys don't mind 😅 and i also hope that the back-and-forth with the timelines in this chap won't confuse you too much! if it does, i'd be happy to clarify them 😋
> 
> shoutout to **ella** (@/doodleniella on tumblr) for drawing a perfectly accurate depiction of manager-chan's feral moment last chap which you can see [here](https://doodleniella.tumblr.com/post/631643748824170496/seijoh-manager-chan-let-me-go-let-me-at-him)! and shoutout as well to **salmon-sushi** for writing a masterpiece of a scenario with our fave seijoh third years which you can read [here](https://salmon-sushi.tumblr.com/post/631934537027518464/woops-aobajohsai-femreader)!
> 
> on with the chap!! :D

**_Present Day: Year 2012, Inter-High Qualifiers_ **

It wasn’t that you didn’t have faith in your boys.

But with the way the day had started earlier — with Mattsun’s shoes situation and your almost-breakdown in the thrift store — you thought it was a foreshadowing of some sort, and the whole time Seijoh played against Oomisaki High School in their first and only match for the first day of the Inter-High, you found yourself constantly on the edge of your seat, clasping your hands together in a wordless prayer.

Needless to say, though, your team had won (which was a given, really, because Oikawa scored unbelievable straight service aces and you were left questioning why you were worried in the first place) and now, you found yourself in the parking lot of Sendai City Gymnasium, overlooking the rest of the team as they hauled all your collective belongings onto the bus to go home. You weren’t too focused on them, however, since your mind was too busy replaying Makki’s earlier words to you.

_(If only you could clone yourself…)_

_(So there would be two of you… Two…)_

_(To have two managers, hm…)_

“Oi!” You called out to the head of fluffy brown hair walking in front of you, carrying two big duffel bags which you promptly took from him — _(“[Y/N]-chan! Those are heavy, how did you—?!”)_ — and handed them off to a surprised Kindaichi and an equally confused Yahaba who were passing by. “Captain, I need to talk to you.”

Oikawa gasped dramatically, the sound purposely loud enough so that the rest of the team could hear. “[Y/N]-chan! You sly woman, you!” He slung an arm around your shoulder and winked at you. “Is this the part where you finally confess your three-year crush on me? My, my, I never pegged you to be so bold— _OW! [Y/N], that hurts!_ ”

It _should_ hurt, seeing as you were now grabbing the setter’s ear and dragged him off to a more isolated (but still within sight of the team, of course!) spot across the open parking lot, ignoring his yelps of pain. Once settled, you let go of Oikawa’s abused ear, raising an unimpressed brow at his scrunched up face.

“Do you have to be so violent?”

“Of course,” you shrugged. “How else would you shut up and listen to me?”

He blinked once, twice, a third time. “I think I need to talk to Iwa-chan… he’s become a bad influence on our sweet manager— _Okay! Okay! I’ll shut up now!_ ”

You lowered your raised fist and made a show of flexing your bicep in true Iwaizumi fashion (but you probably turned out to look much less intimidating than the vice captain) as a warning. Once Oikawa raised both his hands in surrender, you finally got to business. “Listen, I have a… proposal.”

And as the captain leaned down to listen to you and the both of you were engaged in a hushed conversation, multiple pairs of eyes were staring from across the parking lot. Kindaichi stared wide-eyed, Kunimi looked bored, while Yahaba and Watari sported amused expressions.

“I n-noticed this for a while now, but…” Kindaichi trailed off, eyes taking in from the distance how Oikawa was now pinching both of your cheeks obnoxiously while you squirmed in annoyance. “...Oikawa-san and [Y/N]-senpai seem… close?”

Kunimi’s eyes narrowed. “Just say it as it is. You’re asking if Oikawa-san and [Y/N]-senpai are together.”

Yahaba and Watari laughed loudly while Kindaichi’s face turned a deep red color.

“That’s not what I’m saying!” The turnip head insisted, glaring at his fellow first year before turning his gaze back across the parking lot. “But I do admit that idea crossed my mind… And what about it, huh? It’s just a thought…”

“What thought?”

All four heads turned at the voice of Matsukawa, who had Iwaizumi and Hanamaki tagging along beside him, all three of them looking questioningly at Kindaichi.

“Matsukawa-san!” Kindaichi turned an even deeper red. “N-Nothing! I was— I was just wondering if Oikawa-san and [Y/N]-senpai have always been that… close…”

The wistful tone in the turnip head’s voice was enough implication and to the first year middle blocker’s surprise, all three of his third year seniors burst out laughing (well, Makki and Mattsun burst out laughing while Iwaizumi settled for snickering), clutching their stomachs and wiping tears from their eyes.

“Every single time!” Makki said in between laughs.

“Why does this always happen?” Iwaizumi snorted.

“What always happens?” Kunimi asked out loud.

“This,” Matsukawa hiccupped, pointing to Kindaichi then gesturing across the parking lot. “People always assume that [Y/N] and Oikawa are together or something...”

“Or that they’re secretly in love but her being our manager prevents them from confessing their undying love for each other…” Watari scoffed, amused while Kindaichi looked horrified.

“Secretly in love? Oh, please,” Makki snickered, turning to his fellow third years. “Remember in our first year when Oikawa asked her out in front of the whole team — with flowers and chocolates and everything?”

“How could I forget?” Iwaizumi laughed at the memory of you flat out rejecting Oikawa despite the crowd looking on expectantly. “Trashykawa had an existential crisis for a whole month! Wouldn’t stop yapping about how _no one ever rejected him before_.”

“What about that time when we found out [Y/N] had a crush on the captain of the baseball team?” Mattsun choked. “Oikawa wouldn’t talk to her for a week!”

The third years were too busy laughing about their memories so Kunimi had to turn to Yahaba for his question. “So Kindaichi’s really on to something? Those two have history together?”

“Or maybe Oikawa-san actually likes [Y/N]-senpai?” Kindaichi offered, wide eyed.

“Nah, it’s not anything like that,” Yahaba grinned.

“I think Oikawa-san just likes to tease her,” Watari said. “You’re right in that they’re very close, though. I think he’s her first friend out of the third years. Right, Yahaba?”

“Yup. I’d say she even has a soft spot for him, so it’s understandable why people may think they have something going on.” The second year setter grinned at the two first years. “I even thought the same thing when I first joined the team last year… In fact, I thought [Y/N]-senpai was another crazy fangirl.”

“No way!”

“Uh huh,” Yahaba rubbed the back of his head as his voice held a more wistful tone. “My first impression of [Y/N]-senpai was rather harsh...”

+++++

**_Flashback: Year 2011_ **

_(Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Makki, Mattsun and [Y/N] are in their second year. Yahaba and Watari are in their first year.)_

“I’m Yahaba Shigeru! I played setter in middle school.”

“I’m Watari Shinji! I played setter in middle school but I can back-and-forth between setter and libero.”

“...”

Yahaba and Watari stared in shock at the scary looking first year beside them, surprised at his boldness to not speak up during the first year club introductions. He had short-cropped blonde hair with two black stripes, easily making him one of the most intimidating looking people in the room despite being a first year.

“Don’t be shy now, first year,” the captain tried to smile at him but it probably ended up looking more like a grimace. “Go on now, introduce yourself.”

“...”

A tense silence filled the air of the gym as a few of the club members’ jaws dropped in disbelief. Who was this first year? Why did he just ignore a direct order from the captain? Why is he so—

“I’m sorry I’m late!”

All eyes took in your approaching figure, your arms awkwardly holding up your clipboard and a tray of water bottles, as you made your way to the center of the gym where they were all gathered around. Yahaba, in particular, stared at you strangely. He already knew Seijoh had a female manager but he didn’t expect you to be so… unpunctual. _Were you a slacker, perhaps? Tsk, tsk…_

“Don’t worry, [Y/N], we only just started,” the captain assured you before pointing to a familiar figure seated dejectedly on the nearby bench. “Why don’t you and Oikawa go over the stats in our last practice match while we finish the first year introductions? It won’t take too long—”

“Oikawa’s back?!” You gaped at him before swinging your head to the side to see that indeed, Oikawa was _back_. “But his knee— I thought—”

“The doctor told him to _take it easy_ so he’s sitting out in today’s practice. Keep an eye on him, why don’t you? Knowing him, he’d probably worm his way into practice without us noticing…”

“I’ll take care of him, captain!” You saluted the third year before turning on your heel.

Yahaba stared as you ran towards Oikawa’s side a little too frantically for his taste. _Great. Our manager’s an Oikawa fangirl. Just great…_

Oikawa, on the other hand, looked wide-eyed at your approaching figure before letting out a pained groan when you tackled him into an awkward hug. “[Y/N]-chan— my knee— oof!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you chanted like a mantra and Yahaba could’ve sworn your eyes were glistening with unshed tears. _Were you an emotional fangirl? What the hell were you doing?_

The rest of the team looked on in amusement before the captain gestured for them to officially start with practice. At the same time, he nudged the second years to intervene with your emotional reunion with Oikawa.

“Okay, that’s enough, [Y/N],” Iwaizumi grumbled as he and Matsukawa hauled you off of the brown-haired setter while Hanamaki checked on Oikawa’s knee.

“But—” You sniffled pathetically just when Yahaba thought he couldn’t possibly think any less of you than he already did. “I was so worried! He just— Last week, he— I couldn’t—”

“Let it out, honey,” Matsukawa patted your head just as Makki deemed that Oikawa’s knee had no further unintended damage. “You had a rough week last week.”

“The worst,” you agreed, still sniffling. “You guys go back to practice, don’t mind me. And you…” You pointed at Oikawa. “I’m gonna buy you some milk bread, okay? Stay right there, don’t you lift a finger!”

Without another word, you turned on your heel and ran out of the gym, leaving behind four pairs of brows that were raised to the roof in utter confusion.

“Wow,” Oikawa mumbled, clutching his heart dramatically. “If this is how she acts every time I hurt myself, I should injure myself more…”

But it wasn’t _just_ when he injured himself. You seemed to act that way even _outside_ of the club.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Yahaba noticed that you were especially nice to Oikawa out of the other second years and constantly tended to him any chance you got — buying him snacks, massaging his knee, handing him his water bottle, wiping his sweat off with a towel, and even carrying his bags for him in between classes — and the brown eyed setter seemed to drink it all up. _Were you a couple, perhaps?_

To be completely honest, though, Yahaba supposed there wasn’t anything wrong if the answer to that question was a big fat yes. After all, Oikawa was still a dedicated and undistracted player (which he thoroughly proved once his knee was better and he was given the go signal to join practice again), and you were undoubtedly an efficient manager. _Really_ effective, if he said so himself, seeing as the whole team held you in high regard. Clearly, whatever your relationship was with Oikawa didn’t affect both of your performances.

But his admiration for Oikawa as a player and for Seijoh as a team ran deep; and to see you, the manager, act so… tender... towards the star player, in particular… was a big downer for him. Yahaba couldn’t help but look at you weirdly, discreetly avoiding interacting with you at all costs.

At least, he _tried_ to be discreet…

“Yahaba-kun…”

The young setter froze at the sound of your voice in the otherwise deserted gym. He was working on some setting drills against the wall when you walked in alone.

“Sorry for interrupting your solo practice but could you help me with the laundry for a bit?”

He didn’t want to — things were already awkward between the two of you — but, of course, he couldn’t tell you that. So instead, the first year nodded and followed you to the washing machines. His discomfort was extremely obvious for your observant eyes, however, so once you got one of the machines started, you turned to him, voicing out the one thought lingering in your mind.

“I know you hate me, Yahaba-kun,” you ignored his sharp intake of breath at your blunt words. “What I don’t understand is… why? I mean, we barely talk…”

“I don’t hate you, senpai—”

“Ok, then. I know you _dislike_ me. Can you tell me why? So we can work this out?”

“I…” He trailed off, unsure. Should he really tell you? Or would that further cause awkwardness for the both of you? “Senpai, I guess I just… find it weird…”

“What’s weird?”

“You…” He stared hard at the floor. “...and Oikawa-san…”

“Okay…” Your brows scrunched in confusion. “What about us?”

“You’re so— You two are so close… and sometimes I think it’s weird… and you’re always so sweet to him.”

“Because we’re friends? And he’s injured — got a bad knee, y’know?”

“Well, yeah,” Yahaba blubbered out, trying to make sense of what he thought. “But you never act the same way when the other guys are hurt.”

“Yahaba-kun,” you sighed at him, frowning at the implication. “Oikawa’s my friend, just as the rest of you are, okay? And even if we were something more — which we _aren’t_ — that’s none of your business.”

You scowled at him before your face morphed into something else. _Shame_ , maybe? “And as to why I’m giving Oikawa special treatment, that’s because... his knee injury… That was my fault…”

“W-W-What? Really?”

“I’m afraid so…” You hung your head in shame at the memory of Oikawa’s pained howl, and you rushing to get Iwaizumi. “He… He has a habit of overworking himself and one night, he was pushing himself too much with his serves. I yelled at him to stop but he wouldn’t listen so I pushed him.”

“Pushed him? Y-You mean, pushed his buttons?”

“No, no, I meant I physically pushed him… I didn’t expect him to topple over, though, because he’s obviously a lot stronger than me. But he _did_ topple over, clutching his knee in pain and—”

You took a deep breath, too worked up to finish your sentence, and Yahaba knew not to prod you further. He thought of telling you that it couldn’t have possibly been your fault, that surely Oikawa-san’s injury was a long time coming, but he held his tongue, knowing full well that Iwaizumi-san and the others must have told you that over and over again already.

Instead, he settled on helping you with the rest of the laundry in a quiet salute to your unwavering dedication to your friends and to the team, in general. _Maybe he was wrong about you, after all?_

And he _was._ Boy, he was _so_ wrong about his first impressions of you and his inaccuracy was further cemented a few days later in the gym when Oikawa was cowering under your menacing glare while you shouted profanities at him.

“YOU IDIOT! LET ME GO, IWAIZUMI! I’LL KILL HIM, I’LL KILL HIM!”

“[Y/N]-chan,” Oikawa shakily pleaded to you as Iwaizumi, Makki and Mattsun held you back by your torso. “I’m sorry! I thought you knew—”

“Shut up!” You seethed, growing more and more feral by the minute but your voice eventually toned down a notch. “You mean to tell me that your stupid injury was all your doing?!”

“Well, I—”

“All this time, I thought it was all my fault! I thought I pushed you too forcefully! Do you have any idea how many nights I sat up in bed just feeling guilty?! Do you have any idea just how _devastated_ I was?! Do you?!”

“[Y/N]-chan, please—”

“Don’t talk to me. Ever.”

Yahaba tried so hard not to laugh as you turned on your heel and left the gym. And over the course of the next few weeks, he tried so hard not to be amused at you completely ignoring Oikawa — a complete one-eighty to before. _Okay, so you definitely weren’t an Oikawa fangirl, then._

+++++

**_Back to Present Day: Year 2012, Inter-High Qualifiers_ **

“No way!”

“Uh huh,” Yahaba nodded at the amazed look on Kindaichi’s face. “Once upon a time, our dear manager was actually _sweet_ to Oikawa-san…”

“Somehow, I’m having trouble picturing that out,” Kunimi muttered.

“Well, it’s true,” Watari grinned, staring at you and Oikawa across the parking lot, where Oikawa was now happily ruffling your hair while you scowlingly tried to wiggle out of his grip. “They have a strange relationship, that’s for sure…”

“For sure,” Yahaba agreed as he, too, along with Kindaichi and Kunimi, stared at both of you as though you were the most interesting form of entertainment. “I wonder what they’re talking about…”

+++++

**_Extra 1:_ ** _Meanwhile, on the other side of the parking lot..._

“So basically,” Oikawa clapped his hands. “You want to recruit a second manager… A junior to take over once we graduate?”

“Yes,” you nodded. “What do you say, captain?”

“My, my, [Y/N]-chan!” Without warning, the setter put an arm around your shoulder and ruffled your hair. “You’re actually using your brain, for once—”

“I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!”

“I’ve heard that before,” Oikawa winked as he let you go before finally answering your question. “Seriously, though, I think that’s a great idea.”

“Really?”

“Really. We’ll have to talk it out with the coaches, though.”

“Of course, of course!” You beamed at him. “But don’t worry about that yet. Just focus on the Inter-High first, okay? It’s still too early, anyways, and my plan is to start recruiting around February or March…”

“Yes, ma’am,” Oikawa saluted you before grinning cheekily. “I do have a stipulation, though…”

“Stipulation? For the future recruit?”

“Yeah. I wanna stipulate that they spend less time with you or Iwa-chan once they join. We can’t have them turning into brutes under your influence! They should spend time with me instead so— _ACK!_ ”

“I’LL KILL YOU! I PROMISE I’LL KILL YOU!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you sm for reading!!! as always, do leave your thoughts 😋💖
> 
> see you guys on the next chap! 🥰


	14. The Third Day Onwards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought a lot could be said with simple silence.  
> The Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team thought so, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chap contains a lot of angst and i'm so sorry if you guys weren't expecting that :( maybe some of you were expecting a purely crack and fun fic. but ever since the beginning, i always knew i wanted to tackle this canon event and write it a certain way. and to be completely honest, i kinda liked how this chap turned out!
> 
> (my only regret is not transitioning this properly from the fun events of last chap but oh well, can't do anything about that now 😋)
> 
> anyways, happy (angsty) reading!!

When you first joined the Seijoh Boys Volleyball Team back in your first year, you had your reservations about the job and the responsibilities it brought with it.

_Were you even qualified for it? What if you weren’t cut out for it? What if the guys didn’t like you? What if you won’t be able to balance being a student and a club manager? What if you were biting off more than you could chew? What if you’d regret it?_

Needless to say, you didn’t regret it. Sure, you were a lost little puppy the first few weeks but you made your way around eventually. Whatever insecurities you had at first about being incompetent and out of place around the famous top-notch athletes of Aoba Johsai were squashed with constant reassurances from the team. And three years into the role, a lot of things — your perspective, your confidence, your experience — had changed.

And over the course of the years that you’ve been managing the team, people still asked you one constant question and each year, your answer was different.

_What was the hardest thing about being a manager?_

Back when you were a first year, you had said it was the washing.

(Sometimes, it still was.)

When you were in second year, you had said it was the training camps.

(To be fair, this year’s Golden Week was a disaster.)

But now that you were a third year, your answer took on a different turn for the worse. Because right now, as you were agitatedly sitting on the bench of Sendai Gymnasium with your boys on center court, you finally knew the _real_ answer to that question.

Defeat _._

You and your boys were no strangers to defeat and it never got easier. After all, you spent two years constantly losing to Shiratorizawa — with Oikawa and Iwaizumi even going at it since middle school. But this year, your _last_ year, felt different. You naively thought you could dodge defeat this time around.

And after your team won against Karasuno with a very risky margin, you thought, for sure, things were gonna go your way this year. They had to.

But reality washed over you like a bucket of ice cold water, and suddenly, you found yourself lining up with the rest of the team after the final whistle, bowing to the hoards of Seijoh supporters up on the bleachers in thanks. The air was heavy with quiet tension and the next thing you knew, you were all slumped on your seats in the bus back to campus.

You usually sat by yourself on bus rides home but for some reason, Oikawa sat beside you today. He usually sat with Iwaizumi but the vice captain was a few rows in the back by himself.

Maybe the ace was beating himself up for not being able to block that last point?

“Brute force…”

You startled at Oikawa’s voice.

“All our techniques, formations, strategies…” He continued, staring straight ahead as he ignored the way you were looking at him so intently. “Everything was broken through with sheer brute force…”

You didn’t respond. You couldn’t. He probably didn’t expect you to, anyway. You were just a manager, after all, standing by and supporting from the sidelines. What did you know about how these guys felt when they were the ones on the court?

In silent support, you leaned your head against the setter’s shoulder, linking your arm against his in quiet solidarity, and hoped with all your heart that for the rest of the ride back to school, Oikawa could feel all the things you couldn’t say.

+++++

You could barely eat dinner, your favorite meal tasted so foreign on your tongue. You had felt your parents’ concerned eyes on you, but with nothing more than a quiet “good night” after you had washed the dishes, you went up straight to your room and flopped on the bed.

You couldn’t sleep that night.

When you closed your eyes, all you saw were unwanted memories. Your mind did a very good job flashing painful pictures of Yahaba shouting desperately at the sidelines, of Watari failing to bump Semi Eita’s serve, of Makki being blocked by Tendou Satori, of Mattsun being one-upped by Reon Oohira, of Iwaizumi, Kindaichi, and Kunimi not being able to block Ushijima’s powerful winning spike. All you saw at the end of it all was Oikawa’s forlorn expression just as Ushijima’s final spike landed on Seijoh’s side of the court.

You’ve all worked so hard, sacrificed so much. Yet you couldn’t even take a single set from Shiratorizawa after roughly three years of playing against them.

What was even the point of it all?

You tossed and turned all night, counting up until a couple hundred sheep, before you quietly got up. Your feet, soft and quiet in the dark night, dragged you out of your house and to a familiar destination.

The neighborhood park a few blocks down your house was a place you used to visit frequently, but never at night. Such a change in the scene would’ve been a bit scary, but you weren’t bothered, not when you saw an equally familiar figure sitting on your favorite bench.

“Couldn’t sleep, too?”

Iwaizumi’s voice sounded fine — a stark contrast to the hoarseness or bitterness you were expecting — and if it hadn’t been for the fact that he was in front of you, sitting in eerie silence at the park in the middle of the night, you would’ve thought he wasn’t at all bothered by the events earlier that day.

You nodded but it wasn’t like he could see the movement when he was staring straight ahead. Wordlessly, you sat beside him, following his lead and staring straight ahead, as well.

The park was so pretty at night. But it would’ve been even prettier had it been any _other_ night.

The silence was getting to you. Every minute or so, you debated on whether or not to strike a conversation with Iwaizumi. But years of knowing him told you he was the kind of person who appreciated silence much better than mindless chatter in times like these.

So you kept quiet. And even when you could already see the faint traces of sunlight as he walked you home a few equally quiet hours later, your lips stayed shut.

It amazed you how the silence could be so loud. You only hoped the spiky haired boy could hear everything you weren’t saying. You hoped with all your heart that he felt all of it in the tranquil night.

+++++

“[Y/N], what on earth are you doing?”

“Good morning, coach.”

Coach Mizoguchi merely shook his head at you, eyeing how you were robotically folding the volleyball club’s laundry the next morning. “I’m pretty sure I texted all of you that morning practice is cancelled today.”

“I know.”

It was quiet for a moment. He stared at you, concerned, but you tried to desperately ignore the elephant in the room, and settled on pretending that you willingly dealing with the club’s laundry so early in the morning was a natural occurrence.

“Are you okay, [Y/N]?”

“Of course.”

“You don’t have to lie, you know.”

“I’m not lying, coach,” you neatly folded a random training bib before turning to properly face the older man. “I’m fine and dandy.”

You were never a good liar.

“[Y/N],” he said ever so gently, almost as if he was scared that a poor choice of words on his part would do the opposite effect of what he was trying to achieve. “It’s okay to feel down… You know that right?”

You looked away, your lip quivering.

“You’ve worked hard, too,” he continued. “[Y/N], it’s okay to _mourn_ …”

You sucked in a deep breath. And just like that, everything came crashing down.

You hunched over and sobbed into your hands. Of course, this was what the coach wanted — for you to stop bottling up everything — but it wasn’t any easier actually seeing it in front of him. He waited a few beats before taking a step forward but you held your hand up.

“I just—” you straightened up and wiped at your tears. More were falling down but you seemed to pay them no mind. “The guys all seemed to be fine yesterday at the meeting. They were frustrated, of course, but they seemed to be holding it together. But I, on the other hand, _can’t_. I can’t get it together… I feel like I’m falling apart, and I wasn’t even _on_ the court. How pathetic— What’s wrong with me?”

Your words hung in the air but you weren’t expecting an answer. It just felt so good to let the words come out after holding them in for some time.

It had been a long time since you cried like this but Coach Mizoguchi, surprisingly, seemed to know exactly what you needed. Just like how you were with Iwaizumi last night, the coach said nothing, choosing instead to keep you company. Without another word, he came up beside you, took a random piece of laundry from your pile and started folding it.

Sometimes, silent company was all anyone needed.

Wiping your tears, you turned to join the coach in doing the menial task you used to (and, sometimes, still) hate so much, both of you none the wiser to the pairs of eyes looking on from the open doorway.

Wordlessly, Kindaichi, Kunimi, Yahaba, and Watari turned on their heels and slowly walked away.

+++++

The sun was shining brightly that afternoon — a complete mockery of everything that had transpired yesterday — but it was a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere in the faculty room.

“I know the five of you already know why I called you here today.”

You, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Mattsun stared at the principal. You all knew, of course, but that didn’t make things any easier.

“I normally wouldn’t meddle in situations like this,” the principal continued. “After all, we’re considered a powerhouse school and your volleyball team has always exceeded expectations.”

_But…_

“But,” he sighed, “I want all of you to consider the possible consequences of continuing with the club.”

There it was. The big elephant in the room. The five of you had dodged that very topic since the beginning of the year. Now, though, there was no escape.

“All of you, with exception of Oikawa-kun, hadn’t indicated that you were planning on pursuing volleyball as a career option. Unless you have changed your mind, please consider the fact that you still have a future to think of and that entails a lot of preparation. And while you’re busy dedicating time for your club, your other classmates are already getting a headstart with studying and preparing.”

You heard someone sigh. Makki? Or Mattsun, maybe?

“And Oikawa-kun,” the principal turned to the captain, “I know you’re planning on going on the professional route so continuing may seem like the realistic option. But, please remember that you have an injury. Going all out in your high school career could further aggravate your knee, and then what will be of your future career?”

Silence.

“Please weigh your options carefully,” the principal continued, looking each of you in the eye. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Just, please, give it some time, some thought.”

“I’m staying, Sensei.”

Five pairs of eyes stared at Oikawa. None of you were surprised.

“I give you my word I’ll take better care of my knee,” he continued firmly. “But I’m not quitting the club. I know exactly what path I’m taking after high school, and it’s not even about going to Nationals, anymore.”

There was something in his tone. You couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

“I’m staying, sir,” he said. Final.

“So am I, Sensei,” Iwaizumi followed.

Makki and Mattsun both nodded their heads. You kept quiet.

“Very well. I hope you all have thought it through,” the principal sighed. “You may take your leave now.”

One by one, you and your fellow third years stood up and slowly made your way out the door. Silence still hung in the air, and confident as they were back inside with the principal, the four guys stopped in their tracks just outside the door and turned to face each other wordlessly.

“I’m not planning on going pro,” Mattsun broke the silence. “But I do want to, at least, beat Shiratorizawa.”

“Me, too,” Makki piped in. “Can’t hurt to try.”

“I’m not having trouble with studying, so I don’t see why I should give up the club for that reason,” Iwaizumi said.

“I…” Oikawa started. “I want to beat Shiratorizawa and go to Nationals, of course, but I just really love the club — love _volleyball_ — too much to leave.”

They all felt so sure of themselves. You felt like an outsider listening to them as they made up their minds and started talking to themselves on the way to the volleyball gym.

“[Y/N]? You coming?”

You looked up at the sound of Iwaizumi’s concerned voice, only to realize you had not yet moved an inch and they were already a few steps ahead of you.

“Uh, you guys go ahead,” you tried to smile at them and you hoped it didn’t appear shaky. “I forgot my notebook inside.”

They stared at you curiously. _Was it just them or did you look all clammy?_

“I’m fine,” you answered their wordless question. “See you at the gym, yeah?”

“Sure,” Makki said, dragging out the word disbelievingly, before eventually leaving you be. If it was something _really_ important, you would’ve told them, right?

“See ya,” Mattsun hummed while Oikawa and Iwaizumi waved at you, the four of them resuming their walk to practice.

Once they turned the corner and disappeared from your sight, you let out a deep breath you didn’t even realize you were holding. Spinning on your heel, you faced the closed door of the daunting faculty room and mentally hyped yourself up.

With a shaky fist, you knocked on the cold wood. Once. Twice. Then thrice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no extra scene for this update :( i'm sorry ahhhh but i didn't want to put a funny-ish extra because that wouldn't flow seamlessly with the somber tone of this whole chap
> 
> but anyw, i hope you guys still liked this update. thank you sm for reading! 🥰

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Inarizaki Memories](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25925998) by [espeos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/espeos/pseuds/espeos)




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